NACDS met with a dozen key state legislators this week to urge their support for the expansion of pharmacist authority to administer immunizations.
Also in New York... NACDS joined the New York pharmacy sector in discussions with the New York State Department of Health on Governor Cuomo’s budget proposal which would slash $2 billion from Medicaid. The Budget must be approved by April 1.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
A bill that would preempt municipalities from establishing separate Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMP) has been signed by Gov. Tom Wolf (D). SB 432, began as a bill increasing access to the state PDMP, was amended by Rep. Seth Grove (R), due to members’ concern about the City of Philadelphia passing a law in December requiring pharmacies to report to a new city based PDMP. Now enacted, it will preempt Philadelphia from implementing their PDMP statute. NACDS thanks the Pennsylvania Association of Chain Drug Stores efforts on the ground to address the issue.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
This week NACDS submitted a memo in support of HB 7073 which allows pharmacists to prescribe and dispense hormonal contraceptive patches and self-administered oral hormonal contraceptives.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) is beginning 2020 provider revalidation. In the bulletin dated April 20, 2015, providers were informed their enrollment information must be revalidated, per the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). To avoid risk of termination in the Healthy Connections Medicaid program, impacted providers must complete and submit an enrollment application 30 days from the date of their official revalidation notification letter. Providers should NOT begin the revalidation process until they receive notification. The notification contains pertinent information needed to start and complete the revalidation process.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
NACDS provided analysis to members and in-state partners on HB.2688, which would require that health plans, pharmacy benefits managers, and pharmacies will make available a patient’s specific prescription cost and benefit information in real-time for usage in a healthcare provider’s prescribing or electronic health record system at the point of prescribing and at the point of dispensing.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
Mid-way through the 2020 Legislative Session there are a number of pharmacy-related bills still making their way through the process: House Bill 2251 extends the reporting requirement when dispensing biosimilars to 2025; Substitute House Bill 2438 imposes a 1 cent per MME on manufacturers if more than 100,000 MME’s are dispensed within a quarter; 2nd Substitute Senate Bill 5601 address health care benefit managers including PBM’s; Substitute Senate Bill 6086 addresses pharmacy remote dispensing; 2nd Substitute Senate Bill 6087 limits co-payments and cost-sharing to patients on insulin to $100 per month; and Substitute Senate Bill 6113 creates a central insulin purchasing program which includes among others an independent and a chain pharmacist on the work group.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
SB 544, legislation that amends the West Virginia Code to allow the Board of Pharmacy to promulgate regulations to expand pharmacists and pharmacy interns authority to administer vaccine, has passed the Senate and is scheduled for a hearing this week in the House Health and Human Resources Committee. Specifically, it allows pharmacists and pharmacist interns to administer immunizations in accordance with CDC guidelines to adults and children between 11-17 years of age by prescription.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
The Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin (PSW) is seeking technicians to serve as Board or Committee members for its new Technician Section Board. As described by PSW, “The board and committee meet periodically to discuss technician advancement and provide a voice for the technician profession.” Interested technicians can get involved here.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Joel Kurzman at 847-905-0555.