California
This week, California joined with Oregon and Washington in a Western States Pact to coordinate the regional reopening of the economy as the COVID-19 pandemic progresses.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
Connecticut
This week, Connecticut joined with Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island in a regional pact to coordinate the regional reopening of the economy as the COVID-19 pandemic reaches its apex in the region. The Pact shall include state officials, economic experts and public health officials. No timeline or details are available, but the vision is a gradual return to work in the region.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
Delaware
This week, Delaware joined Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island in a regional pact to coordinate the regional reopening of the economy as the COVID-19 pandemic reaches its apex in the region. The Pact shall include state officials, economic experts and public health officials. No timeline or details are available, but the vision is a gradual return to work in the region.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
Massachusetts
This week, Massachusetts joined Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island in a regional pact to coordinate the regional reopening of the economy as the COVID-19 pandemic reaches its apex in the region. The Pact shall include state officials, economic experts and public health officials. No timeline or details are available, but the vision is a gradual return to work in the region.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
Missouri
The Board of Pharmacy issued a statement about pharmacist testing of COVID-19 in wake of the federal statement from the Department of Health and Human Services, and updated its list of rules and statutory waivers. New additions include pharmacist authority to substitute albuterol inhalers and the emergency dispensing waiver moved from 30 days to 60 days.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Joel Kurzman at 847-905-0555.
Nebraska
The Nebraska Pharmacists Association (NPA) announced that Marcia Mueting, RP, will succeed Joni Cover as Chief Executive Officer. NACDS salutes Joni Cover for her seventeen years of service at NPA and congratulates Marcia Mueting on her appointment. The complete transition is expected by around June 1, 2020.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Joel Kurzman at 847-905-0555.
New Jersey
This week, New Jersey joined Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island in a regional pact to coordinate the regional reopening of the economy as the COVID-19 pandemic reaches its apex in the region. The Pact shall include state officials, economic experts and public health officials. No timeline or details are available, but the vision is a gradual return to work in the region.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
New York
This week, New York joined Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island in a regional pact to coordinate the regional reopening of the economy as the COVID–19 pandemic reaches its apex in the region. The Pact shall include state officials, economic experts and public health officials. No timeline or details are available, but the vision is a gradual return to work in the region.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
North Dakota
North Dakota Medicaid updated its Frequently Asked Questions document, with one addition addressing overrides of early fill rejections.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Joel Kurzman at 847-905-0555.
Oregon
This week, Oregon joined California and Washington in a Western States Pact to coordinate the regional reopening of the economy as the COVID-19 pandemic progresses.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
Pennsylvania
The Department of State (DOS) published additional guidance last week related to COVID-19 pharmacy issues. The guidance clarifies that the Commonwealth does not require signatures to confirm delivery and waives provisions around emergency refills to allow 90–day refills for certain medication and 30–day refills for others. In addition to other pharmacy related matters, the guidance also notably states that pharmacists are permitted to perform end-to-end COVID-19 testing and provides instructions to pharmacies to register with the Department of Health (DOH) to do so. NACDS is expecting the DOS to issue further clarifications or waivers around this policy, due to the barriers that currently exist with DOH qualifications.
Also in Pennsylvania... This week, Pennsylvania joined Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island in a regional pact to coordinate the regional reopening of the economy as the COVID-19 pandemic reaches its apex in the region. The Pact shall include state officials, economic experts and public health officials. No timeline or details are available, but the vision is a gradual return to work in the region.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
Rhode Island
This week, Rhode Island joined Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania in a regional pact to coordinate the regional reopening of the economy as the COVID-19 pandemic reaches its apex in the region. The Pact shall include state officials, economic experts and public health officials. No timeline or details are available, but the vision is a gradual return to work in the region.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
South Carolina
Gov. Henry McMaster (R) announced that renewal deadlines for several professional licenses administered through the SC Dept of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) will be extended until September 30, 2020. This includes licenses and permits issued by the SC Board of Pharmacy and further extends the previous deadline extensions provided in the Board Order issued March 23rd.
Also in South Carolina... NACDS participated in a South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) webinar which updated Healthy Connections Medicaid providers on the agency’s response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). During the webinar, SCDHHS leadership provided a brief overview of actions the agency has already taken to provide additional flexibilities to providers and Healthy Connections Medicaid members and discussed additional ongoing and planned efforts as well as addressed questions submitted by providers. A copy of the presentation can be found here.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
Virginia
Physician-Governor Ralph Northam (R) signed HB 1506, a bill that was a priority in NACDS’ Scope of Business Campaign. The new law requires the development of statewide protocols for pharmacists to use to provide a wide range of services including contraceptives, epinephrine, prenatal vitamins, dietary fluoride supplements and prescription medications when the patient’s copay or cost-sharing is less than the cost of the equivalent over-the-counter drug. It also requires the Board of Pharmacy, the Board of Medicine and the Department of Health to convene a workgroup to make recommendations on further statewide protocols allowing pharmacists to administer additional vaccines, provide tobacco cessation therapy and pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis for the prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and perform simple CLIA-waived testing and tuberculosis testing, and over-the-counter drugs that require a prescription by the patient’s health insurance provider.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
Washington
This week, Washington State joined California and Oregon in a Western States Pact to coordinate the regional reopening of the economy as the COVID-19 pandemic progresses.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
Alabama
Alabama Medicaid has extended all expiration dates for temporary allowances to April 30, 2020. This alert and other related updates can be found at the Agency COVID-19 page here.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
Indiana
Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) issued an emergency executive order last week that included increasing the pharmacy technician ratio from 6:1 to 8:1, suspension of the direct supervision provisions to permit technicians to work remotely, and one-time 90-day refills.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
Kentucky
The Department of Insurance announced guidance on the suspension of pharmacy audits during the COVID-19 outbreak. The Department recognized the role of pharmacists in providing essential healthcare services during the current state of emergency and the need to ease operational barriers in order to allow pharmacists to focus on providing those services. Consequently, audits of pharmacy records performed in accordance with KRS 304.17A-740 through KRS 304.17A-747 have been temporarily suspended.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
Maryland
NACDS successfully advocated for a policy change in Maryland Medicaid that makes it easier and safer for pharmacies to make home deliveries during the COVID-19 crisis. Originally, Maryland Medicaid released guidance on home deliveries that required pharmacies to confirm deliveries by making a follow-up communication with the patient. After NACDS contacted Maryland Medicaid on how difficult this process would be to comply with in the midst of the current health care crisis, NACDS’ recommendation to accept a “COVID-19” notation in the patient record as confirmation was accepted, and the policy changed.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
Mississippi
All permitted facilities are required to take an annual inventory of all controlled substances on hand on or about May 1 but no later than May 15. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy is granting an extension until July 1st for the annual inventory. Pharmacies that routinely conduct the annual inventory on a different date are expected to conduct the inventory during that same period this year
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
New York
Effective April 3, 2020, the New York State budget has been finalized. The total spending package is reduced from the Governor’s initial proposal and attempts to address the growing budget deficit that the State is experiencing from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the collateral impact it is having on the state economy, which the Comptroller has said could total $15 billion. The final budget items of interest of community pharmacy are:
- Shift Pharmacy Benefit to FFS: Includes language stating that it is in the best interest of the Medicaid program/patients to move the pharmacy benefit from Medicaid Managed Care back to Fee for Service and Department of Health (DOH) has the administrative authority to do so. DOH shall not implement the transition sooner than April 1, 2021 and upon federal approval. DOH is authorized to establish uniform standards, payment policies and reimbursement methodologies based on actual acquisition costs and professional dispensing fee. DOH is required to convene an advisory group of stakeholder representatives for the purposes of providing non-binding recommendations to the department by 10/1/20 on available methods of achieving savings beginning on and after 4/1/21.
- Extend Immunizer Law: Extends the sunset date on NY’s pharmacist immunizer law two years to July 1, 2022 (despite our strong advocacy efforts we could not achieve expansion this session);
- Bans the sale of tobacco/vaping products in pharmacies (including pharmacies as departments within stores) effective July 1, 2020; and
- ATB Cuts: As part of MRT 2 and as published yesterday in a Public Notice by NYSDOH in the State Register for intent to file a SPA, it is our understanding that the state intends to increase the across the board Medicaid provider cut from 1% enacted 1/1/20 to 1.875% effective 4/1/20 (this can be done administratively and with federal approval). More details to follow.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
Ohio
Pharmacists, interns and certified technicians may now administer FDA-approved COVD-19 tests under guidance released this week by the Board of Pharmacy.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Department of Insurance published guidance last week in response to the COVID-19 crisis that included a strong recommendation that insurers institute medication synchronization programs, in advance of the effective date of Act 46 of 2019. The Act was the result of NACDS and Pennsylvania Association of Chain Drug Stores-backed legislation and includes full dispensing fees and pro-rated copays.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
Tennessee
TennCare has release the results of their cost of dispensing survey, a recording of which can be found here. Effective May 1, 2020, the dispensing fee for ambulatory with volume of 0-64,999 increased to $11.98 and those with volume of 65,000+ increased to $8.37. The Specialty professional dispensing fee of $45.94 will be applied to Specialty Drugs, rather than Specialty Pharmacies. It will be reimbursed regardless of pharmacy practice type.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
West Virginia
The Board of Pharmacy adopted two emergency rules codifying the DEA’s exceptions to Schedule II prescribing requirements, including allowing pharmacies 15 days to confirm in writing an oral prescription for emergency refills.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.