Ohio
The Board of Pharmacy has published a schedule of 2024 board meetings.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Pharmacists Association’s (OPhA) Legislative Day at the Capitol is on March 5. Michael Leake, Deputy Attorney General and Director of the PBM unit, will update on efforts to oversee the enforcement of the Patients Right to Pharmacy Choice Act and the Audit Integrity Act.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
Oregon
SB 1506 (Enrolled) passed the House and will be sent to Gov. Tina Kotek (D). This bill would allow a pharmacist to test and prescribe, dispense, and administer treatment for SAVS-CoV-2 consistent with protocols adopted by the State Board of Pharmacy by rule. It would also permit a pharmacist to delegate to a pharmacy technician or an intern under the pharmacist’s supervision the administrative and technical tasks of performing a SARS-CoV-2 CLIA-waived test. Finally, the bill would require payment for these services effective October 1, 2024, with a sunset date of June 30, 2026.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
South Dakota
HB 1147 (Enrolled), legislation addressing discriminatory acts against entities participating in a 340B drug pricing program, was delivered to Gov. Kristi Noem (R) on February 27.
Also in South Dakota, Heather Petermann is Medicaid Director for the Department of Social Services. Heather previously led the Health Care Research and Quality division within the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
Tennessee
Tennessee Pharmacy Association (TPA) asked pharmacy technicians to complete TPA’s pharmacy technician survey Survey topics include responsibilities, advanced technician roles, direct patient care roles, well-being, and certifications. Participation will help TPA gain insight into the roles that pharmacy technicians hold within different settings of pharmacy practice.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
Texas
The State Board of Pharmacy (TSBP) adopted and proposed several new rules at the February quarterly meeting.
Also in Texas, the TSBP publishes a monthly newsletter aimed at informing interested parties about law and rule changes and news relating to the practice of pharmacy in the state.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
Vermont
Effective February 21, Change Healthcare started to experience network issues expected to continue throughout the weekend. To ensure Medicaid members receive necessary prescriptions and pharmacies have necessary guidance the agency offered the following:
- Claim Processing/Prescription and Emergency Fills: Claims are not processing currently. Existing federal law requires that a 72-hour emergency supply of a prescription drug be dispensed to Medicaid patients when the medication is needed without delay. Claims will be processed once the Change Healthcare system issues have been resolved. It is expected that providers will adhere to the provider agreements, which prohibit billing members when Medicaid will pay for services. Please refer to the provider manual for the limitations on billing members Vermont Medicaid Provider Manual (vtmedicaid.com).
- Eligibility: Eligibility must be verified through the automated Voice Response System (VRS), 800.925.1706, option 1 and then option 1 again or by utilizing online Transaction Services (https://vtmedicaid.com/#/home). For those members indicating new enrollment as of February 23, please call Maximus at 855-899-9600 during business hours and for afterhours please call the automated Voice Response System (VRS).
- Pharmacy Procedures: Many pharmacies have established internal procedures to handle such situations and we encourage dispensing medications to affected members to ensure continuity of care.
- Prior Authorizations: The outage is impacting the ability to issue prior authorizations. Therefore, prior authorization will be retroactively reviewed and applied for prescriptions filled during the system outage. Pharmacies must review the PDL to ensure the criteria is met prior to issuing new medications. Preferred Drug List (PDL) & Clinical Criteria | Department of Vermont Health Access
- Refills should be issued as requested based on the member’s history and clinical judgement. These claims will also be subject to a retroactive review.
- Controlled substance prescriptions: Please review the Vermont Prescription Monitoring System (VPMS) system as required.
- Helpdesk Access: Due to the outage, pharmacies are temporarily unable to contact the pharmacy helpdesk via phone or fax. Change Healthcare has indicated that the cause of the outage has been identified and they are working actively to restore normal operations. For questions, contact the Department of Vermont Health Access Pharmacy team at 802-879-5000 or ahs.dvhaph@vermont.gov.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
Washington
The PBM reform bill that passed the Senate earlier this month was amended in the House and continues to advance E2SSB 5213 through the legislative process despite the false claims that this bill would cost the state of Washington almost $239 million in excess drug spending in year one, and as high over $2.7 billion over the next 10 years. The bill is on the House calendar and must be voted out by 5:00 pm on March 1. If that occurs, the bill will be returned to the Senate for concurrence with amendments added in the House Health and Wellness Committee last week.
Also in Washington, the Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission (PQAC) posted the agenda for the March 7 meeting.
Also in Washington, register now for the Apple Health quarterly online seminar on March 7 aimed at providing HCA (Health Care Authority) partners with information about current Apple Health (Medicaid) programs and program updates.
Also, in Washington, responsible pharmacy managers or equivalent managers of pharmaceutical firms must conduct an annual self-inspection in March and within 30 days of naming a new responsible pharmacy manager. The self-inspections are to be completed on Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission provided worksheets.
Finally in Washington, the Department of Health Prescription Monitoring Program is hosting a rulemaking workshop on March 19 to clarify the rules defining the concepts of “sold”, “dispense”, “filled” and “distributed”.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
Wyoming
SF 0100 (Engrossed), legislation related to prompt payment of clean pharmacy claims, passed the Senate, and was introduced in the House and referred to the Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Committee.
Also in Wyoming, Gov. Mark Gordon (R) sent the Senate his list of nominees for numerous state offices, boards, and commissions. These nominees are subject to confirmation by the Senate. Among the nominees are Summer Hanson, DVM.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.