The Department of Health Care Services posted the following alerts, bulletins, and weekly notices on the Medi-Cal Rx Web Portal.   

 

 

Also in California, the Department of Health Care Services posted the following:   

 

 

Also in California, the Board of Pharmacy proposed modifications to the following. To view all documents associated with these proposed regulatory actions and other pending regulations, visit the board’s “Pending Regulations” webpage.  

 

  • Opioid Antagonist Protocol 

 

  • Continuing Education 

Also in California, the Board of Pharmacy posted its Annual Notice of Availability of Precedential Decisions Index.  

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the California State Board of Pharmacy (Board), pursuant to section 11425.60 of the Government Code, the Board maintains an index of precedential decisions, which is annually made available by the Board to the public by email subscription. To join the Board’s email list, go to www.pharmacy.ca.gov. The index and the text of the precedent decisions are continuously available on the Board’s website at http://www.pharmacy.ca.gov/enforcement/precedential.shtml. 

Also in California, the Board of Pharmacy provided an update to licensees and interested stakeholders regarding the cultural competency continuing education (CE) requirements for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians that become effective on January 1, 2024, pursuant to Assembly Bill 2194 (Ward, Chapter 958, Statutes of 2022).  

As pharmacists and pharmacy technicians seek cultural competency CE courses, the Board has received questions about acceptable courses. 

Business and Professions Code (BPC) section 4231, as operative on January 1, 2024, details the criteria that a cultural competency course must meet, as follows: 

  • The course focuses on patients who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender nonconforming, or queer, or who question their sexual orientation or gender identity and expression. 
  • The course is approved by an accreditation agency approved by the Board. 
  • The course covers recognized health disparities faced by Black, Indigenous, and people of color. 
  • The course contains elements demonstrating how sexual identity is directly impacted through intersectionality. 

The Board does not endorse or recommend any specific cultural competency course. As a courtesy to licensees, however, the Board is notifying licensees of two courses that may meet the above requirements: 

Finally in California, the Board of Pharmacy posted the agenda and meeting materials for the following committee meetings: 

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