The Legislature convened their 60-day fiscal session on Monday, April 10th. The House Health Committee has scheduled a hearing on May 10th on HB 471, legislation the Louisiana Alliance of Retail Pharmacies (LARP) initiated that lowers the age to 7 and older for pharmacies to administer all ACIP immunizations and vaccines without a patient specific prescription or medical order.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
The General Assembly adjourned Sine Die this week. The following priority bills for pharmacy are on their way to Gov. Moore (D) for his signature:
NACDS thanks our state partners and members for their work to get these bills across the finish line.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
On April 27, 2023, the MassHealth Pharmacy Program announced that “effective May 1, 2023, through March 31, 2024, MassHealth members, including those in managed care plans, do not have to pay copays for prescription drugs. This also applies to Health Safety Net (HSN) patients during this period.”
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
Pharmacy technicians immunizing under the Board’s statutes and rules must complete an initial and annual documented competency assessment. A sample Technician Immunization Assessment Checklist template is intended for guidance purposes only to assist licensees and should be modified as appropriate for your practice setting.
Also in Missouri, the 2023 Practice Guide contains updated compliance tips and information on recent statutory/rule changes, including, new/revised sections on Pharmacy Working Conditions, Technician Supervision & Expanded Technician Activities, Electronic Final Product Verification by Pharmacists, Technology-Assisted Product Verification by Interns & Technicians, and Quality Assurance.
Finally in Missouri, the 2023 Missouri Pharmacy statutes and rules law book is available here.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) signed the following bills:
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
The Department of Health and Human Services posted the Practitioner Fee Schedule for Injectables effective April 1, 2023. The Department also posted the COVID-19 Fee Schedule effective April 21.
Also in Nebraska, the Department of Health and Human Services published the following:
Also in Nebraska, the Department of Health and Human Services announced the DUR (Drug Utilization Review) Board Meeting scheduled for May 9 has been cancelled. The next meeting will be held on July 11.
Finally in Nebraska, the Department of Health and Human Services announced a public hearing on May 31 to receive comments on proposed changes to Title 471, Chapter 7 of the Nebraska Administrative Code (NAC) – Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Medical Supplies (DMEPOS). The proposed changes set the regulations’ scope and authority; update definitions; expand prescription authority; update provider requirements; update service requirements for covered and non-covered services; add glucose monitors as a covered service; update billing and payment requirements; remove unnecessary and outdated language; remove duplicate statutory language from the regulations; update formatting; and restructure the regulatory chapter. Written comments may be submitted no later than the day of the hearing to: DHHS Legal Services, PO Box 95026, Lincoln, NE 68509-5026, (402) 742-2382 (fax) or dhhs.regulations@nebraska.gov, respectively.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
On April 27, 2023, Governor Hochul announced an budget agreement with the legislature that held off all efforts to repeal the NYRx, the Medicaid prescription benefit carve out for fee-for-service. As of April 1, 2023, all Medicaid members enrolled in Mainstream Managed Care now receive their prescription drugs through the program.
On April 24, 2023, NACDS participated in a pharmacy lobby day in Albany, in collaboration with the Community Pharmacy Association of New York and the Pharmacist State Society of New York. Members and pharmacists lobbied in support of S3467: CLIA-waived testing, S6337: expanding the Long Acting Injectables law, and for final signature of A 1060: pharmacists administered contraceptives.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
On April 5, Gov. Doug Burgum (R) signed SB 2378, legislation related to clinician-administered drugs. The new law includes language that prohibits a PBM from requiring “a patient, as a condition of payment of reimbursement, to purchase pharmacist services, including prescriptions drugs, exclusively through a mail-order pharmacy or a pharmacy benefit manager affiliate, or a combination of both.”
Also in North Dakota, on April 10, Gov. Doug Burgum (R) signed HB 1095, legislation including comprehensive medication management services in health benefit plans.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready (R) recently filed an administrative action against CVS citing a violation of state law prohibiting patient steering. The administrative hearing is scheduled on May 25, 2023.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.