NACDS and the California Retailers Association (CRA) submitted a joint letter to the Assembly Business & Professions Committee to register our “oppose unless amended” position on AB 1430, legislation requiring pharmacies to dispense Schedule II prescription drugs in lockable vials. NACDS requested the bill be amended to be voluntary and to remove the onerous administrative requirements (i.e. maintaining patients’ combination codes for locking-cap closure mechanisms). The bill also fails to extend the same liability protection against failure of a particular lockable vial to prevent unauthorized access and/or a particular patient’s inability to access medication in a lockable via that is otherwise afforded to prescribers under the bill; we requested his omission must be remedied.
Also in California, NACDS and CRA submitted a letter to the California Senate Appropriations Committee opposing SB 362 due to the fiscal pressure on the state created by new enforcement costs for the Board of Pharmacy. This is in addition to a similar recent joint letter to the California Senate Business, Professions & Economic Development Committee voicing opposition to this bill which would prohibit community pharmacies from utilizing metrics to evaluate the performance of employees. While SB 362 may be well-intentioned, it contains ambiguous and onerous requirements that are impossible for pharmacies to meet and may ultimately threaten access to pharmacy services and jeopardize patient safety.
Also in California, SB 409, legislation permitting pharmacists to perform SARS-CoV-2 and influenza testing and adding pharmacist-in-charge in the definition of a laboratory director, passed the Senate and was read for the first time in the Assembly.
Also in California, the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) issued the following waivers via authority under Governor Gavin Newsom’s Executive Orders N-39-20. A list of current waivers is available on the DCA website.
- DCA Waiver DCA-21-139 Order Waiving Restrictions On Healthcare Students Administering COVID-19 Vaccines In Association With State or Local Vaccination Efforts
- DCA Waiver DCA-21-140 Order Waiving Restrictions On Healthcare Providers With Expired, Inactive Or Lapsed Licenses Ordering And Administering COVID-19 Vaccines In Association With State or Local Vaccination Efforts
Also in California, due to the delayed Go Live date for Medi-Cal Rx, the following events have been postponed. Also, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) anticipates providing further information about the Medi-Cal Rx implementation in May.
- The April 14 public forum is being postponed. The next scheduled Medi-Cal Rx public forum is May 19 via webinar. Information will be posted on the DHCS website. For questions or comments related to Medi-Cal Rx, please email RxCarveOut@dhcs.ca.gov.
- The March 22 Medi-Cal Rx Advisory Workgroup meeting was postponed. The next scheduled meeting for this workgroup is May 28 via webinar. These sessions are intended to help facilitate and further inform DHCS’s ongoing efforts to implement pharmacy services improvements through Medi-Cal Rx. Information on how to participate in the next webinar will be provided on the DHCS website.
Also in California, on April 7, 2021, the DHCS posted this Provider Registration and FAQs bulletin on the Medi-Cal Rx Web Portal.
Lastly in California, the Board of Pharmacy is beginning the development of its new strategic plan and is seeking stakeholder feedback. The Department of Consumer Affairs, SOLID Planning Solutions (SOLID), is assisting the Board with its strategic planning process. Completed surveys will provide input as to how the Board is doing by identifying strengths, challenges, and current trends to consider for the future direction of the Board. All responses are anonymous. This survey will be open until April 30, 2021.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.