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So far Michael Silber has created 2507 blog entries.

Oklahoma

NACDS sent Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) a letter asking him to sign SB 806, the Food is Medicine bill that would improve access to essential nutrition services for Medicaid beneficiaries and incentivize improvements in their health, utilizing an 1115 waiver. 

Also in Oklahoma, SB 789 was amended in the House removing the rate floor language that triggered the fiscal note, and returned to the Senate for concurrence. 

Finally in Oklahoma, SB 906, legislation that empowers pharmacists to optimize the pharmacy technician workforce and delegate more administrative and technical activities that do not require a pharmacist's by expanding the pharmacist-to-pharmacy technician ratio to 4:1, passed both houses and was sent to Gov. Kevin Stitt (R). NACDS sent a support letter asking Gov. Stitt (R) to sign the bill into law. 

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.

2025-05-16T09:48:19-04:00May 16, 2025|Oklahoma|

Oregon

The Immunization Policy Advisory Team (IPAT) meets June 5 from 12:00 noon -2:00 pm Pacific via Zoom and requires registering in advance using this link. The final agenda will be available at the meeting or via email request three days before the meeting date by contacting imm.info@odhsoha.oregon.gov. The Immunization Program works to reduce the incidence of vaccine-preventable disease in the state. Staff members identify and promote evidence-informed public health best practices to both the public and healthcare professionals throughout the state. For more information, visit the program's website. 

Also in Oregon, the Oregon Healthcare Authority (OHA) seeks help to make healthcare more affordable. Oregonians are invited to submit applications to serve on two new committees focused on healthcare affordability. May 16 is the extended deadline to apply for both committees. Applications and more information are available on the Committee on Health Care Affordability and Industry Advisory Committee webpages. Once their members are chosen, the committees plan to meet beginning this summer.  

The Committee on Health Care Affordability, also simply called the Affordability Committee, is seeking diverse voices. Its members may include people who receive health care, employers that purchase insurance, health economists and health policy experts. 

The Affordability Committee will be supported by the Industry Advisory Committee, which also aims to include a variety of perspectives, ranging from health insurers to providers, hospitals and health industry leaders. Health care professionals in small or independent practices, and those who specialize in primary care, behavioral health, oral health or pediatrics are particularly encouraged to apply to the industry committee. 

For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.

2025-05-16T09:47:45-04:00May 16, 2025|Oregon|

South Carolina

The General Assembly has adjourned, with plans to reconvene in June to address appropriations bills, gubernatorial vetoes and legislation advancing from conference committees. All bills left on the calendar will carry over to the 2026 legislative session, including NACDS reimbursement reform and scope expansion.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.

2025-05-16T09:46:41-04:00May 16, 2025|South Carolina|

Texas

Several bills of interest to pharmacy are advancing in the final three weeks of the biennial session:  

  • SB 1236 (HB 3317), PBM reform legislation that provides contract protections for pharmacies. The bill provides fairness and transparency, requires that a group number identifying the plan be on the enrollee's identification card, provides audit protections and ensures compliance with existing laws. The bill passed both houses and is on its way to Gov. Greg Abbott (R).
  • HB 3540 (SB 254) permanently authorizes pharmacists to order and administer all childhood vaccines to individuals five years of age and older (three years of age and older for flu & COVID) and allows pharmacists to delegate vaccine administration to a certified technician. Physicians, pediatricians and pharmacies reached a compromise. The bill is supported by the Texas Medical Association, the Texas Pediatric Society and all pharmacy groups. The bill is on the House calendar this week. More than a dozen pharmacists from Albertsons, Brookshire Brothers, Kroger and Walgreens spent all-day Tuesday advocating for the immunizations bill and distributing the joint HB 3540 one-pager on the agreed-to bill. The chain pharmacists helped field questions and count votes. 
  • HB 1027, legislation aimed at increasing access to pharmacies in underserved areas, would remove the current mileage restrictions on telepharmacies and also repeals provisions that prohibit a telepharmacy system located at a remote dispensing site from dispensing a Schedule II controlled substance. The bill passed the House and was referred to be considered next by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.  

Also in Texas, Albertsons pharmacist Rob Gagliardi, who also serves as the Bedford Mayor Pro Tem, connected with his friend Rep. Tony Tinderholt (R), the influential Floor Leader for the House Republican Caucus. 

Also in Texas, the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is interested in quality improvement and value-based payment initiatives for Medicaid and other publicly funded health services. HHSC is seeking a pharmacist to serve on the Value-Based Payment and Quality Improvement Advisory Committee. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission executive commissioner will appoint members to the committee to serve a term expiring December 31, 2028. Applications are due by 11:59 pm, May 23. More information is available on the website. 

Finally in Texas, the Board of Pharmacy (TSBP) approved rules exempting central fill pharmacies from the 6:1 pharmacy technician-to-pharmacist ratio at the May 6 board meeting. The rules take effect immediately after publication in the Texas Register. 

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.

2025-05-16T09:46:07-04:00May 16, 2025|Texas|

Washington

NACDS sent Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) a letter asking him to veto a surcharge on prescription medications in Section 201 of HB 2081 due to its detrimental impact on pharmacy operations and patient care. This new proposed tax does not apply to retail sales of prescription drugs exempted in current law.   

Also in Washington, the State Department of Health held a Sunrise Review public hearing on May 14 on pharmacist prescriptive authority. The Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee had requested a review of a proposal to increase the pharmacist scope of practice to assess whether it meets the sunrise criteria in RCW 18.120.010. The request would grant the Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission the authority to regulate licensed pharmacist prescribing outside of a collaborative agreement. NACDS and many other groups submitted written comments for the record in advance of the hearing. 

Finally in Washington, the Washington Health Care Privacy Toolkit has been updated with new information, including 2024 updates to reproductive health privacy. 

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.

2025-05-16T09:44:26-04:00May 16, 2025|Washington|

Alabama

It is time again for the Payment Error Rate Measurement (PERM) Cycle for Medicaid Pharmacy providers. CMS collaborates with a vendor to conduct PERM retrospective reviews (i.e., audits) on Medicaid claims, and they are beginning their reviews on our program. Of note: 

  • The Payment Error Rate Measurement (PERM) program, authorized by CMS, has begun its reviews for Review Year (RY) 2026. 
  • The Payment Error Rate Measurement (PERM) program measures improper payments in the Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and produces state and national-level error rates for each program.  
  • PERM RY2026 will review claims from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025. 
  • Empower AI, Inc. is the Review Contractor (RC) for PERM RY2026, and providers will be contacted by representatives from Empower AI, Inc. Providers must respond to all Medicaid Record Requests (MRRs) from the RC. MRRs have begun as of May 5, 2025. 
  • All PERM questions from Medicaid's providers should be referred to the PERM Program Manager, Faith Pedro at (334) 242-5346 or Faith.Pedro@medicaid.alabama.gov.  

 

The Department respectfully asks that pharmacy providers respond to ALL PERM REQUESTS in a timely manner, as this is a mandatory review; Medicaid is 'graded' on our providers' response rates.   

For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.

2025-05-08T14:09:07-04:00May 8, 2025|Alabama|

California

The May 2025 issue of the Board of Pharmacy's newsletter, The Script, is now published online. The newsletter includes information on the following: 

 

  • New PIC training online seminar 
  • Ensuring consumers receive medication (BPC 733) 
  • Online portal for drug thefts and loss 
  • SB 339: emergency to permanent regulation 
  • How to support future licensees through donating to a scholarship fund 
  • Wholesaler Thresholds 
  • Becoming an inspector 
  • CURES fee increase 
  • Tribal health professionals' exemptions 

 

Previous newsletters can also be viewed and downloaded. Go to the "Quick Hits" column at www.pharmacy.ca.gov and click on The Script-Archive to find electronic issues of The Script published since October 1998. 

 

Also in California, the Board of Pharmacy published an update on medication error reporting.  Business and Professions Code (BPC) section 4113.1 establishes requirements for a community pharmacy to report medication errors to an entity approved by the Board. The statute requiring medication error reporting can be viewed here:  BPC section 4113.1. In September 2024, the Board approved the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), an ECRI Company, as the entity to receive and review medication error reports under BPC section 4113.1. 

  

Pursuant to BPC section 4113.1, "community pharmacy" includes any pharmacy that dispenses medication to an outpatient, including both resident (PHY and PHE) and nonresident (NRP) pharmacies, but does not include facilities of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Additionally, outpatient hospital pharmacies are not required to report a medication error under BPC section 4113.1 if the error meets the requirements of an adverse event that has been reported to the State Department of Public Health pursuant to section 1279.1 of the Health and Safety Code. 

  

A community pharmacy shall submit the report no later than 14 days after the date of the error's discovery. The community pharmacy shall maintain records demonstrating compliance with this requirement for three years and shall make these records immediately available at the request of a Board of Pharmacy inspector. 

  

ISMP, as the Board-approved entity, sent a postcard to community pharmacy licensees the week of April 21 with information about how to register with ISMP's California medication error reporting program. Registration can be completed using this website: https://mederrors.ismp.org/. If you experience any technical issues when signing up for California's medication error reporting program through ISMP, please email clientservices@ecri.org. Licensees are encouraged to register by May 24.  The online reporting system will be available to submit reports in early June 2025. You will receive a follow-up email from ISMP in early June 2025 with a link to the user registration page of the online reporting system. 

  

FAQs regarding medication error reporting are available online.  

 

Finally in California, the Department of Health Care Service posted the following weekly notices, alerts, and monthly bulletin on the Medi-Cal Rx Web Portal.  

 

For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.

2025-05-08T14:08:34-04:00May 8, 2025|California|

Florida

NACDS submitted comments to the Board of Pharmacy in support of proposed rules eliminating the current maximum pharmacy technician-to-pharmacist ratios across various pharmacy settings. Instead, the proposed rules would allow supervising pharmacists to determine the number of technicians under their oversight, thereby enabling pharmacies to optimize the use of pharmacy technicians to perform technical and administrative tasks and allowing pharmacists to dedicate more time to direct patient care. 

Also in Florida, the State Legislature has passed a concurrent resolution to extend the Legislative Session until 11:59 pm on June 6, in accordance with Section 3(d), Article III of the State Constitution. All other measures in both houses were indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration of the respective House as of 12:00 am on May 3. The Legislature will only be considering bills related to the budget during the extension. Senate President Ben Albritton (R) issued a statement on the 60th day of the 2025 legislative session, announcing that the Senate has developed "a framework for a budget plan and a tentative schedule to move forward" in agreement with the House. As part of this agreement, the Senate and House are proposing a historic $2.8 billion in tax relief. The Legislature is expected to return to Tallahassee the week of May 12 to hash out differing ideas about the spending plan for the coming fiscal year. 

For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.

2025-05-08T14:07:53-04:00May 8, 2025|Florida|

Illinois

The Pharmacy Practice Act allows pharmacists in the state to provide PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) under a standing order issued by either an Illinois-licensed physician or the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). IDPH has now issued said standing order, along with a corresponding press release. In accordance with the law and the standing order’s protocols, pharmacists are required to complete specific training. Additionally, IDPH will monitor and collect data on the program’s utilization. For patients, IDPH has established this website. 

For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.

2025-05-08T14:07:16-04:00May 8, 2025|Illinois|
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