Governor William Lee (R) signed SB1859, on May 9, 2022, effective immediately, this legislation requires the board of pharmacy to promulgate rules necessary to ensure that an individual who is blind, visually impaired, or otherwise print disabled has appropriate access to prescription labels, bag tags, and medical guides.  

Also in Tennessee, Governor Lee signed HB2660/SB2457, on May 4, 2022, effective immediately.  This legislation authorizes the Department of Commerce and Insurance to promulgate rules for pharmacy benefit managers and pharmacy benefits. Rules are prohibited from extending, modifying, or conflicting with any provision of the Tennessee Code. The rules must implement PBM audits necessary to ensure compliance; provide additional licensure requirements for PBMs; implement a complaints and administrative hearings process and provide for fees to cover the cost of supervising compliance payable by a PBM subject to an audit. 

Finally in Tennessee, Governor William Lee (R) has signed Senate Bill 2458/House Bill 2661, as amended, Much of this law offers clean-up language to 2021’s Public Chapter 569, and stakeholders advocated for key elements to ensure all provisions can be properly enforced by the TDCI, which align with Arkansas’ law that was defended by the U.S. Supreme Court in Rutledge v. PCMA. Summary points of the law include, medication product reimbursement, update to the professional dispensing fee, patient access, clear determination that this law applies to ERISA plans and a clearly defined role of the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance.  

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