South Carolina

To comply with provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the South Carolina Department of Health, and Human Services (SCDHHS) paused the typical annual eligibility review process for the state’s Healthy Connections Medicaid members effective January 27, 2020. When the current federal COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) ends, state Medicaid agencies will be required to resume reviewing the eligibility of all Medicaid members. For more information, click here. 

For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.

2022-11-04T11:26:37-04:00November 4, 2022|South Carolina|

South Dakota

The Board of Pharmacy distributed its October 2022 newsletter. Below is an outline of the content. 

  •  Board Welcomes Newly Registered Pharmacists and Pharmacies 
  • SD Hosts NABP/AACP District 5 Meeting 
  • PDMP Statistical Report 
  • Board of Pharmacy Meeting Dates, Members and Staff 

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

2022-11-04T11:26:02-04:00November 4, 2022|South Dakota|

Texas

NACDS, the Texas Federation of Drug Stores (TFDS), the Texas Pharmacy Association (TPA) and the Texas Health-Systems Pharmacists (TSHP) collaborated on November 2 for an all-day successful Pharmacy Advocacy Training Day at the Texas State Capitol. Pharmacists from around the state were briefed on the pharmacy priority issues for the 2023 legislative session, heard from legislators, regulators, on “how to advocate” effectively, and then practiced what they learned by role playing. Media pundits shared their stories on Texas politics, the November 8 elections, and the outlook for the 2023 session. Chain, independent and hospital pharmacists teamed up and spent the afternoon fanning out across the Capitol in teams putting their knowledge into practice with over 50 scheduled meetings with legislators and staff. 

Also in Texas, the Health, and Human Service Commission (HHSC) is hosting a provider online seminar at Noon on November 8 on COVID-19 updates. COVID-19 vaccine providers may also benefit from the information relating to COVID-19 vaccine updates, clinical guidance, and product ordering. Please register to receive information to participate in this event.  

Finally in Texas, the Board of Pharmacy adopted non-sterile compounding rules at its August meeting. Board rule 291.131 changes including new definitions of cleaning and sanitizing and calibrations of scales.  

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.

2022-11-04T11:25:26-04:00November 4, 2022|Texas|

Virginia

DMAS (Department of Medical Assistance Services) has issued a memo informing pharmacy providers that DMAS fee-for-service (FFS) and the Medicaid Managed Care Organizations will provide up to five professional dispense fees per month (defined as a rolling 30-day period) for buprenorphine-based opioid use disorder (OUD) products, effective December 1, 2022.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.

2022-11-04T11:24:21-04:00November 4, 2022|Virginia|

Wisconsin

The Department of Safety and Professional Services announced it earned a $1.4 million grant from the Federal Bureau of Justice Assistance for its Enhanced Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (ePDMP). The grant funds will be used to modernize the self-service functionality and provide improved data quality, better customer support and greater user satisfaction.

For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.

2022-11-04T11:23:48-04:00November 4, 2022|Wisconsin|

Alabama

Reminder, Alabama Administrative Rule 420-4-1-.04 requires pharmacists to report to the State Health Officer or designee the dispensing of anti-tuberculosis medications and dispensing of antiretroviral medications to an infant.

Also in Alabama, all previously published expiration dates related to the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) are once again extended by the Alabama Medicaid Agency. The new expiration date is the earlier of November 30, 2022, the conclusion of the COVID-19 national emergency, or any expiration date noticed by the Alabama Medicaid Agency through a subsequent ALERT.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.

2022-10-28T11:03:41-04:00October 28, 2022|Alabama|

California

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

Also in California, the Board of Pharmacy issued its Annual Notice of Availability of Precedential Decisions Index. The index and the text of the precedential decisions are available on the Board’s webpage.

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

2022-10-28T11:02:58-04:00October 28, 2022|California|

Kentucky

Patients and pharmacies in the Commonwealth took a giant leap forward this week when Anthem announced they will be enrolling pharmacists as network providers. The move is a result of the enactment of a law that provides for pharmacy payment parity; HB 48 of 2021 required Kentucky health plans to reimburse pharmacists for services within a pharmacist’s scope of practice that are otherwise covered by the plan, if provided by another healthcare provider. Coupled with a pharmacist’s current authority to provide more than a dozen clinical services under Board of Pharmacy Protocols, Anthem members will have widespread convenient access to treatment at pharmacies for ailments such as flu, strep and tobacco cessation. Pharmacies interested in enrolling in the network should contact kyprovidercontracting@anthem.com. For more information, please see the Kentucky Pharmacists Association’s (KPhA’s) latest news release. NACDS applauds KPhA for its work with Anthem and its leadership in our joint support for HB 48.

Also in Kentucky, Medicaid has proposed a rule that may make it easier for pharmacies to provide vaccine services to kids with Medicaid coverage. The rule change eliminates the requirement to use Vaccines for Children (VFC) stock and strikes current language that states Medicaid will not reimburse for the cost of any vaccine if already available through the VFC program. NACDS interprets this to mean that pharmacies do not have to be enrolled in VFC to immunize and be reimbursed for Medicaid-covered kids. NACDS is seeking member feedback to determine whether this change would be significant to your vaccination efforts. Please review this rule and send Jill McCormack your comments by November 18.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.

2022-10-28T11:01:20-04:00October 28, 2022|Kentucky|

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