Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) has signed legislation allowing pharmacists to substitute interchangeable biological products. The bill includes prescriber notification language that is aligned with the model language supported by NACDS in other states. The measure will now be sent to Congress for the standard 30-day review period as required by DC regulation.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
The Florida Department of Health announced a notice of change to a May 15th proposed rule that would adopt regulations under FAC 64B-3 to provide a form and procedure to request a waiver of electronic prescribing requirements for prescribers facing economic hardship or technological limitations. The changes revise the form to require the location of the waiver site, a detailed description of the need for the waiver, a description of the practitioner’s current electronic prescribing capabilities, and the expected date the practitioner will be fully operational.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
The Department for Public Health published an order relating to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The order specifies that a clinician’s order is not required for a laboratory services provider to perform and bill for a molecular diagnostic test, that insurers will not require an order as a precondition for coverage, and that clinicians are not required to have established a formal clinician-patient relationship unless professional medical advice beyond providing this testing service is otherwise explicitly provided. The order also addresses cost sharing and in vitro diagnostic products.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
NACDS, alongside with the Public Health Department’s Immunization Director Stacy Hall, presented to public health officers around the country on the importance of flu and COVID vaccines. This presentation focused on the ways in which community pharmacies can be ready to expedite expanded access to flu and COVID vaccines, when available
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
The Board of Pharmacy, by a vote of 8-3, approved a draft regulation allowing Technician Product Verification in the community pharmacy setting. Prior to the vote, an amendment was adopted to clarify that the same technician could not do both verification’s. The regulation will now go to the Secretary of Health for approval prior to being published for public comment. NACDS will share an amended draft as soon as it become available.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
Under new policy changes, pharmacists can now provide and bill tobacco cessation services under Medicaid’s UnitedHealth/Optum plan. For more information click here.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) plans to transition its pharmacy reimbursement methodology to include an average acquisition cost (AAC) component. Per SCDHHS, the goal of this transition is to ensure that pharmacy reimbursement rates are responsive to drug pricing fluctuations in the South Carolina market. To support the development and maintenance of AAC rates, SCDHHS has contracted with Mercer Government Health Consulting to establish and maintain the AAC program. Starting September 2020, pharmacy providers will receive a survey requesting copies of pharmacy invoice records to be sent to SCDHHS. Per SCDHHS, this survey will allow the agency to measure the drug acquisition costs incurred by Healthy Connections Medicaid pharmacy providers. A pharmacy stakeholder information session to discuss the AAC survey process and project timeline will be held via webinar Tuesday, August 25, 2020, at 3 p.m. (EST). Providers and stakeholders can register for the webinar here.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
To advance our 2021 legislative agenda, NACDS and the Texas Federation of Drug Stores continue to schedule virtual meetings with lawmakers, advocating for increased access to immunizations (including the future COVID-19 vaccine), expanded pharmacists scope of practice, and fair Medicaid reimbursement. In support of these initiatives, NACDS and pharmacists from HEB and Walgreens that live and work key districts recently met with Senator Kelly Hancock (R) (Chair of the Business and Commerce Committee), Representative Geanie Morrison (R), Representative Julie Johnson (D), Representative John Kuempel (R), and Representative Eddie Lucio III (D).
Also in Texas. On September 15th , the Health and Human Service Commission Vendor Drug Program will extend the non-preferred prior authorization duration for macrolides from 30 days to 90 days for people with a diagnosis of Gastroparesis, Cerebral Palsy Gastroparesis, or GERD Gastrostomy complications. Managed Care Organizations are required to comply with this PDL prior authorization criteria, including duration. More information can be found here.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
The Department of Managed Health Care amended regulations under 28 CCR 1300.67 to clarify when health care service plans must cover diagnostic testing for COVID-19 and specified how quickly testing must be provided for employees, and the process for reimbursement. The emergency rule will expire on January 13, 2021.
Also in California. The Public Health Director Sonia Angell abruptly resigned amid a major data glitch affecting hundreds of thousands of COVID -19 test records, which has hampered counties’ response to the virus. The California Reportable Disease Information Exchange (CalREDIE) currently has a backlog of 250,000 to 300,000 records.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.