NACDS filed comments with the Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) supporting its proposed rule pursuant to the PBM (Pharmacy Benefits Managers) Licensure and Regulation Act.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
Gov. Chris Sununu (R) signed SB 35, a bill that authorizes pharmacists, pharmacy interns and licensed advanced pharmacy technicians to administer an RSV vaccine to adults.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
The Oregon Board of Pharmacy permanently adopted the following rules at the June 2023 Board Meeting:
Also in Oregon, the House passed the following bills this week:
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
As a reminder, the state’s Naloxone Copay Assistance Program will reimburse pharmacies up to $75.00 for Naloxone claims for any patient who appears hesitant to fill, regardless of the type of insurance they have (public or commercial), and those without coverage. Developed jointly by NACDS/PACDS members and the Governor’s Opioid Task Force, claims are billed through the PACE (Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly) program’s platform to make it seamless for pharmacies, with little criteria for the patient to qualify. Due to underutilization, the state recently reissued a bulletin outlining NCPDP D.0 payer specifications/billing instructions for pharmacies. It is NACDS’ understanding the $75.00 may be billed for either a copay or to offset total cost.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
TennCare is continuing the process of reviewing all covered drug classes. Changes to the PDL (preferred drug list) may occur as new classes are reviewed, and previously reviewed classes are revisited. As a result of these changes, some medications your patients are now taking may be considered non-preferred agents in the future. Please inform your patients who are on these medications that switching to preferred products will decrease delays in receiving their medications. We encourage you to contact OptumRx’s Pharmacy Support Center (866-434-5520) or tnrxeducation@optum.com should you have additional questions. For more details on Clinical Criteria, please visit the website.
Also in Tennessee, the Tennessee Pharmacists Research and Education Foundation is looking to partner with 10 additional pharmacies for the Community Outreach Immunization Initiative. This opportunity is open to pharmacies across Tennessee that are willing to engage patients that have not received their COVID-19 vaccination series, as well as any other patients who may have gaps in their vaccination history. This opportunity will be a nine (9) month commitment and could earn your pharmacy up to $31,500. If you are interested register at the link here. If you have further questions about this opportunity, reach out to Danielle McCoy.
Finally in Tennessee, this communiqué has been sent to provide further clarification on the buprenorphine update changes that became effective May 15, 2023. Additionally, you will find an updated memo that properly reflects the recent buprenorphine changes for your records.
We encourage you to review this information thoroughly and contact the OptumRx Pharmacy Supports Center at 866-434-5520 or tnrxeducation@optum.com should you have questions.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
The Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Cecile Erwin Young announced that Emily Zalkovsky will lead the Medicaid and CHIP Services division as the Medicaid Director, effective July 1, replacing Stephanie Stephens.
Also in Texas, the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is aware of a drug shortage for the brand name Chantix in the Smoking Cessation drug class due to a manufacturing delay of this product by Pfizer. In response to the preferred brand name Chantix shortage, HHSC removed the non-preferred status from the generic product, varenicline, on the preferred drug list.
Also in Texas, the HHSC Vendor Drug Program’s (VDP’s) Medicaid-enrolled pharmacy providers must ensure their email address is on file and up to date within the Provider Enrollment and Management System (PEMS). You can access the PEMS-associated job aid, Verifying an Email in PEMS (PDF), on tmhp.com if you need help confirming your email address. Your correct email address in PEMS means you will receive timely enrollment-related notifications from TMHP (Texas Medicaid & Healthcare Partnership). If you have marked TMHP notifications as spam or have blocked TMHP notifications, you will no longer receive those notifications. Additional information related to email addresses in PEMS is available in the Preparing for PEMS Guide (PDF) on tmhp.com.
Finally in Texas, HHSC VDP has updated two manuals of interest to pharmacies:
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
The Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission (PQAC) held a workshop on June 15 to review stakeholder comments on PQAC prepared draft rules on the accessible labeling issue.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
The Board of Pharmacy’s emergency rule permitting a pharmacist to delegate the administration of a vaccine to a trained pharmacy technician while under the supervision of the pharmacist was published with an effective date of May 4, 2023, in the “Arizona Administrative Register”; see pages 1196 through 1201. Also, note the inclusion of special continuing education requirements for technicians administering vaccines.
Also in Arizona, NACDS submitted comment letters to the Board of Pharmacy in support of the following proposed rules:
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) posted the following alerts and weekly wrap-ups on the Medi-Cal Rx Web Portal:
Also in California, Medi-Cal published this PHE Update for Who May Prescribe Home Health Services, DME and Medical Supplies (May 19).
Also in California, the Department of Health Care Services announced this Medi-Cal Rx Update.
On May 19, Medi-Cal Rx Reinstatement Phase III, Lift 3 was successfully launched. On May 23, a 30-day notification for Phase III, Lift 4: Retirement of the Transition Policy for Beneficiaries 22 Years of Age and Older was released, notifying stakeholders that on June 23, 2023, Phase III, Lift 4 (P3/L4) will be implemented, lifting the Transition Policy for 46 Standard Therapeutic Classes. This is the fourth in a series of lifts to retire the Transition Policy by reinstating NCPDP Reject Code 75 – Prior Authorization Required.
Also in California, as part of the Board of Pharmacy’s April 2023 Board Meeting, the Board approved a policy statement related to digital signatures.
Finally, the Board of Pharmacy posted the agenda for the Medication Error Reduction and Workforce Ad Hoc Committee Meeting scheduled for June 7.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.