In The States – Page 220 – Weekly news about states

Massachusetts

The Board of Pharmacy issued on an update to the MA BOP’s Covid-19 Practice. This document reviews the issues related to license expirations, temporary emergency practice authorizations and orders, workforce issues and perpetual inventory.

Also in Massachusetts, effective August 12, 2021, MassHealth will cover the administration of the third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to individuals who qualify for the additional dose. There is no cost sharing for any COVID-19 vaccines. MassHealth expects it will pay $45.87 for administration of the third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, the same rate it pays for administration of first or second doses, using CPT code 0003A for the third dose of the Pfizer- BioNTech vaccine and CPT code 0013A for the third dose of the Moderna vaccine. Here is their updated policy.

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

Michael Silber2021-08-27T12:38:16-04:00August 27, 2021|Massachusetts|

Minnesota

The Insurance Division of the Department of Commerce has published a proposed rule on PBM Licensure and Regulation. The rule is a result of the passage of legislation in the 2019 Legislative Session and will be the subject of a hearing on September 20. NACDS intends to draft comments that will be sent out for member review. Should you have comments in the meantime, please send them to Jill McCormack by Sept. 3. Instructions for accessing the hearing virtually and by telephone are included in the rule.

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

Michael Silber2021-08-27T12:37:24-04:00August 27, 2021|Minnesota|

Nebraska

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid approved the Department of Health and Human Services’ State Plan Amendment for Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) on August 17.  MAT is a covered service for all Medicaid beneficiaries meeting the medical necessity criteria for the service beginning October 1 and ending September 30, 2025.

Also in Nebraska, Provider Bulletin 21-18 includes two important updates:

Starting October 1, the Heritage Health Adult (HHA) will move from a two-tier benefit system to a single benefit plan, meaning all adults enrolled in HHA will receive full state plan coverage including comprehensive physical and behavioral healthcare plus vision, dental and over-the-counter drug coverage.

Medicaid and Long-term Care will be hosting one-hour educational webinars to provide information about the Medicaid Expansion program.

Finally in Nebraska, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that COVID-19 Medicaid Provider Calls will resume on September 1.

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

Michael Silber2021-08-27T12:45:33-04:00August 27, 2021|Nebraska|

Nevada

An opinion letter https://www.nacds.org/ceo/2021/0827/7-22-21-Practicing-Pharmacy-into-Nevada.pdf issued by the Board’s General Counsel in July now interprets the law to require that any pharmacist who dispenses or compounds prescriptions for a controlled substance or dangerous drug for a patient located in the state of Nevada needs to be registered/licensed with the Board. This interpretation is a complete reversal of the Board’s long-standing practice of requiring a non-resident pharmacy to hold a Nevada license, but not the individual pharmacists who work at the pharmacy.

Also in Nevada, the Board of Pharmacy will hold a three-day Board meeting in Las Vegas on August 31-September 2. The Board’s agenda and information on the videoconference link are available here – January 2000 Agenda (nv.gov)

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

Michael Silber2021-08-27T12:35:16-04:00August 27, 2021|Nevada|

New York

This week the New York State Board of Pharmacy released the finalized Board of Pharmacy Advisory memo on licensure requirement changes being proposed to the Board of Regents.

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

Michael Silber2021-08-27T12:34:39-04:00August 27, 2021|New York|

North Carolina

HB96, sponsored by Representative Wayne Sasser (R), was signed by Governor Roy Cooper (D) on August 20, 2021. The measure becomes effective October 1, 2021, and provides for pharmacist vaccine administration, administration of long acting injectables, tobacco cessation, hormonal contraceptives, administration of the COVID vaccine and more. The North Carolina Board of Pharmacy issued guidance on how the Board is interpreting HB 96. This important guidance can be found here. Thank you to NACDS Members, North Carolina Retail Merchants and the North Carolina Pharmacy Association who worked on this bill.

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

Michael Silber2021-08-27T12:34:03-04:00August 27, 2021|North Carolina|

Ohio

Medicaid (OCM) announced this week that they project July 1, 2022, as the launch date on implementation of the new managed care model that includes the seven next generation managed care plans, the Single Pharmacy Benefit Manager (SPBM), Provider Network Management (PNM) module, Centralized Credentialing, and Fiscal Intermediary. More detail is available on ODM’s managed care page.

Also in Ohio, ODM has released a FAQ announcing the rates for the Managed Care Supplemental Tiered Dispensing Fee for state fiscal year 2022-23. This in in addition to the dispensing fee currently paid by the plans. Members should expect the first payment of the biennium in November 2021.

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

Michael Silber2021-08-27T12:33:23-04:00August 27, 2021|Ohio|

Pennsylvania

The House Professional Licensure Committee will hold an informational meeting on Monday, September 20, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. to discuss the pharmacy-related regulatory waivers and suspensions issued by the Department of State during the COVID-19 pandemic and brief the members of the committee. NACDS plans to testify in favor of making the PREP Act permanent in state statute in coordination with the Pennsylvania Association of Chain Drug Stores (PACDS), the Pennsylvania Pharmacy Association (PPA) and other partners.

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

Michael Silber2021-08-27T12:32:45-04:00August 27, 2021|Pennsylvania|

Virginia

The Board of Pharmacy issued the following statement via email to licensees yesterday clarifying that only registered pharmacy technicians are authorized to administer vaccines:

The Virginia Board of Pharmacy has received several inquiries regarding the ability to use pharmacy technician trainees to administer vaccines to patients. We wish to remind the pharmacy community that to be considered a “qualified pharmacy technician” as indicated on page 2 of the Department of Health and Human Services Guidance issued October 20, 2020, an individual authorized to administer vaccines must be registered with the Board as a pharmacy technician. Registration with the Board as a pharmacy technician trainee does not meet the requirement to be considered a “qualified pharmacy technician”.

Also in Virginia, Alexis Page, PharmD, BCACP, has been appointed the Virginia Department of Health’s (VDH) COVID-19 Pharmacy Coordinator, under the VDH Vaccine Unit. In addition to her education, Dr. Page’s background includes a PGY1 Community Based Pharmacy Residency and a Community Based Pharmacy Leadership and Management Fellowship with Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy. She is also Certified in Ambulatory Care Pharmacy (BCACP). Just prior to joining VDH she was the Pharmacy Manager and Residency Coordinator at Kroger and VCU. NACDS and VACDS have been working with Dr. Page in Virginia and she welcomes you to reach out to her.

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

Michael Silber2021-08-27T12:32:06-04:00August 27, 2021|Virginia|