On April 20, the Department of Consumer Affairs issued an order waiving the staffing ratio of pharmacist to pharmacy technicians related to the administration of COVID-19 vaccinations.  The following language is included in the order: Accordingly, for pharmacists engaged exclusively in initiating and administering COVID-19 vaccines, and pharmacy technicians engaged exclusively in administering COVID-19 vaccines under the direct supervision and control of such pharmacists, the Director waives Business and Professions Code section 4115, subdivision (f)(1) to the extent it limits pharmacies with only one pharmacist to having no more than one pharmacy technician working, subject to the condition that such pharmacies may have no more than two pharmacy technicians working.

Also in California, the Medi-Cal Update Bulletin 989 – April 2019 includes the following items of interest.

  • REMINDER: On April 1, the online attestation period opened for fee-for-service Medi-Cal pharmacy providers seeking the higher of two professional dispensing fees as part of the reimbursement for covered outpatient drugs. The attestation period for the 2020 calendar year is open until 11:59 pm April 30, 2021, and no attestations will be accepted after that time.
  • Effective for dates of service on or after March 1, 2021,pen needles quantity limits without authorization have been updated to allow 100 pen needles per claim with no more than three (3) claims in 90 days. Pen needles are billed on a pharmacy claim using the contracted product’s National Drug Code (NDC).

Also in California, the Medi-Cal Update – Part 1 – Program and Eligibility Bulletin – April 2021 highlights information related to drug code limitations and Medi-Cal suspended and ineligible provider list among other program elements and eligibility requirements and updates.

Also in California, Medi-Cal announced a System Update beginning at midnight on April 25, 2021, continuing through 6:00 a.m.  Point of Service (POS) network Leased line Eligibility and Share of Cost (SOC) transactions may not be available during this time.

Lastly in California, additional agendas have been posted for the following Board of Pharmacy teleconferenced meetings:

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