Don’t miss the FREE module on preventing Type 2 Diabetes in South Carolina. This course is designed to help you use the South Carolina Provider Toolkit to evaluate, test, treat and refer patients with prediabetes to an in-person or online evidence-based diabetes prevention program. To learn more, click here to view the flyer.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
TennCare is abandoning plans to set limits on some prescription drugs. This change comes after advocacy groups voiced concerns for low-income patients whose medication access may be limited.
Also in Tennessee, the Tennessee Pharmacy Association (TPA) wants to hear from you! If you are a pharmacist or pharmacy technician, please take their 2022 Needs Assessment to share your educational needs and your interest in diverse types of educational programming.
TPA’s “COVID-19 Updates: Paxlovid Prescribing and Best Practices for Vaccinating under 5” Webinar on Wednesday, August 10, 12-1pm CT, will provide the most current COVID updates.
Finally in Tennessee, updated versions of the PDL (Preferred Drug List), criteria PDL, and interim criteria PDL as well as the monthly provider notice for August 2022 can be found here.
The updates below became effective 8/1/2022:
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
The Board of Pharmacy posted new guidelines clarifying the Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) mandatory lookup requirements in integrated health records for pharmacists checking a patient’s controlled substance history before dispensing opioids, benzodiazepines, barbiturates or carisoprodol.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
Alabama Pharmacy Association (APA) has been working with the Department of Insurance as they create a way for pharmacists/pharmacies as well as patients/consumers to file complaints regarding PBMs (Pharmacy Benefits Managers). APA has created two QR codes that can be printed out for easy access. One is for pharmacists/pharmacies and will take you directly to a page on the Department of Insurance website specifically for the purpose of filing a PBM complaint. The other is for patient use. You may find it useful to print this out and place it where patients can easily access it with the camera on their smart phone.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
The Board of Pharmacy, Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) and the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) issued a reminder to complete the workforce survey. HCAI, in partnership with the Board of Pharmacy and DCA, developed a workforce survey for individuals to complete during the electronic licensure renewal process. Individuals are asked to contribute to this important data collection effort by completing the survey at the time of licensure renewal. Please feel free to contact HCAI at workforcedata@hcai.ca.gov. Answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the HCAI licensure data collection are also posted on the Board’s website under License Renewal Online.
Also in California, NACDS and the California Retailers Association (CRA) submitted a joint letter to the Board of Pharmacy expressing members’ concerns with recent delays in approvals of licenses and permits by the Board of Pharmacy. In the letter, we offered to work with the Board on solutions to this issue to ensure demand for critical medications and other pharmacy services are being met.
Also in California, NACDS and CRA submitted a joint letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee to “opposed unless amended” AB 852, legislation that would revise requirements originally enacted under AB 2789 (Wood, Ch. 438, Statutes of 2018) pertaining to e-prescribing. Of particular concern, AB 852 would require pharmacies to accept electronic prescriptions without advance notice and minus the lead time necessary to build out system capabilities both internally and with external system vendors to accommodate this. NACDS and CRA urge lawmakers to amend the legislation to clarify that pharmacies do not have to accept electronic prescriptions from software vendors without a mutually agreeable contractual relationship with a pharmacy that includes assurances of interoperability and complies with applicable laws, regulations and industry standards.
Also in California, the Department of Health Care Services posted the following alerts on the Medi-Cal Rx Web Portal.
Finally in California, on July 28, Medi-Cal posted the following:
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
The Board of Pharmacy will hold a virtual Stakeholder Meeting on August 5th on multiple proposed revisions including Rule 17 (Collaborative Pharmacy Agreements); Appendix C (Statewide Protocol for Pre-Exposure and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)); Appendix A (Statewide Protocol for Prescribing Hormonal Contraceptive Patches and Oral Contraceptives), and the Colorado Self-Screening Contraception Risk Assessment Questionnaire to include Vaginal Rings and Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (DPMA); and the proposed Appendix E (Proposed New Statewide Protocol for Statin Therapy). Potential considerations to revise the rules to implement new legislation concern: Colorado Senate Bills 22-116, 22-173, 22-027, and 22-098; and Colorado House Bills 22-1235, 22-1246, 22-1326, 22-1115, and 22-1122.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
The Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday begins July 27th and runs through August 7th. Florida shoppers are eligible to purchase clothing and school supplies tax-free for the next two weeks.
School-related items include:
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services has posted a new Provider Notice regarding Confirmation of Coverage for Continuous Glucose Monitors per Public Act 102-1093.
Also in Illinois, the state’s sales tax holiday begins on August 5th, runs through August 14th, and applies to clothing and footwear with a retail selling price of less than $125 per item and certain school supplies. School supplies are not subject to the $125 threshold.
The Illinois Department of Revenue has released an Informational Bulletin providing comprehensive details including how to handle coupons, exchanges, returns, backorders, etc. It also lists qualifying and non-qualifying items.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
A special session on banning abortion and taxes was convened on Monday, July 25. Pharmacies are promoting an amendment allowing pharmacists prescribing self-administered hormonal contraceptives.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.