SF 47 has passed the Senate with only two dissenting votes and has advanced to the House for consideration. The bill, among other things, requires e-prescribing of all controlled substances effective Friday, January 1, 2021.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
DC Health has established a policy statement to allow pharmacists to dispense naloxone without a prescription pursuant to a standing order. The policy will allow national pharmacy organizations (NPOs) to use their own training programs and standing orders to dispense naloxone to DC residents. The NPO standing order must be signed by a DC-licensed physician. The training program must meet the requirements outlined in the policy statement. Pharmacies that are not members of an NPO can dispense naloxone if the pharmacists have completed DC Health’s naloxone training program and have signed the DC Health standing order. The DC Health training program can be found on the DCRx website. If your pharmacy would like to complete the DC Health standing order, email supervisory pharmacist Dr Justin Ortique. For more information, please visit www.dchealth.dc.gov/bop.
Several rule changes from the Iowa Board of Pharmacy will take effect on Wednesday, January 23, including Dispensing and electronic transfer of prescriptions by pharmacy technicians, Board membership and responsibilities, Wholesale distributor licenses, Limited distributor licenses, and Third-party logistics provider licenses. Additional information on these rules and others can be found on the Iowa legislature’s rule tracking website.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Joel Kurzman at 847-905-0555.
On January 7, 2019, the Dr. Barbara Gee, Secretary of the Department of Health, issued a standing order for naloxone.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
Effective January 7, 2019, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority implemented Phase 1 of a daily Morphine Milligram Equivalent (MME) limit for SoonerCare (Medicaid) pharmacy claims. It covers both short-acting and long-acting opioid formulations. Opioid MME daily totals exceeding 240 will require prior authorization (PA) with patient-specific, clinically significant reasoning why the member requires more than 240 MME per day.* This limit will gradually decrease over a six-month period, allowing providers to develop and implement tapering plans for appropriate patients. The end goal is a target of 100 MME or less.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
The State Senate recently approved four appointees to the Pharmacy Examining Board. Franklin “Rocky” LaDien was reappointed to a second term, ending in 2020. Philip J. Trapskin was reappointed to a second term, ending in 2021. Cathy J. Winters was reappointed to a second term, ending in 2021. John Weitekamp was appointed to his first term, ending in 2022.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Joel Kurzman at 847-905-0555.
Joe Schnabel, PharmD, RPh, BCPS, a former Board of Pharmacy member, has been named as the new executive director of the Board of Pharmacy. Dr. Schnabel comes from Salem Hospital where he has worked for over 30 years, most recently serving as the director of pharmacy.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
Effective January 1, 2019, pharmacists are able to prescribe certain contraceptives to patients and be reimbursed under Medicaid and the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program. The Board of Pharmacy has published online guidance on complying with the law and the required patient screening forms
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
Former State Sen. Vicki Schmidt (R), a pharmacist, will be sworn in Monday, January 14, as the state’s Commissioner of Insurance. The Commissioner-Elect is strong in her belief that more pharmacists should run for public office.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.