Effective Thursday, November 1, the Medicaid Agency will begin implementing limits on short-acting opiates for opioid naíve recipients. Details are available on the website. Also, the override form and criteria have been posted. Additionally, prescribers and pharmacists may access the printable Recipient Information Sheet online.
Gov. Nathan Deal (R) called a special session of the legislature on Tuesday, November 13 to take immediate action and lead the way in spurring economic recovery after the heavy damage caused by Hurricane Michael.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
The Board of Pharmacy’s Technician Task Force will submit language to the Board recommending increasing the current 3:1 pharmacy technician to pharmacist ratio to 6:1 provided half the technicians are certified.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
On October 1, the Division of Medicaid (DOM) began requiring an FDA-approved indication or compendia-supported indication for each stimulant prescription. It has come to DOM’s attention that the MississippiCAN pharmacy claims systems do not interface with the medical claims systems and may not be able to perform a search for diagnoses in the past 24 months of medical claims. The fee-for-service system is capable of performing this look-back function. To ensure that stimulant prescriptions process without delay or the need for prior authorization, DOM advises providers to write the diagnosis and ICD-10 code on each of their patient’s ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) prescriptions. Pharmacy providers must then enter the ICD-10 code on prescription claims. A list of FDA-approved or compendia-supported indications covered by DOM, along with corresponding ICD-10 codes, can be found on DOM’s Pharmacy Resource webpage.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
Gov. Michael L. Parson (R) named Rep. Todd Richardson (R), currently Speaker of the House, to become Medicaid Director effective Thursday, November 1. Speaker Richardson will be replaced by House Speaker Pro Tem Elijah Haahr (R), who was already selected to succeed Speaker Richardson in 2019 but will assume the interim speaker role in the meantime.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Joel Kurzman at 847-905-0555.
This week, Gov. Tom Wolf (D) signed two pharmacy-backed bills into law, including HB 353 and HB 270. HB 353 requires e-prescribing for all controlled substances effective one year from the date of governor’s signing on October 28. Wolf also signed HB 270, which expands income guidelines for the Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly (PACE) program, estimated to make an additional 14,500 senior citizens eligible for the PACENET pharmacy benefit. NACDS participated in negotiations with the Wolf Administration that resulted in an amendment to the bill that would allow retail pharmacies to perform medication synchronization for PACE beneficiaries and includes a provision that allows for a pro-rated co-pay and requires the payment of the full dispensing fee for partial fills to synchronized medications.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
Effective Saturday, December 1, the Medicaid pharmacy copayment for prescriptions drugs and refills will be $1.00 regardless of a drug’s status on the Preferred Drug List. For more information, please contact Harry Rossander at the Department of Human Service Bureau of Policy Coordination or NACDS’ Joel Kurzman at 847-905-0555.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued a letter to providers with information about its enforcement of certain dispensing limits on opioids designed to align with safe prescribing guidelines and statutory requirements.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Joel Kurzman at 847-905-0555.
The Board of Pharmacy is holding its final Patient Safety and Compliance Seminar of the year on Tuesday, October 23 in Columbia. Visit the website for additional details and online registration.
Also in Missouri… the Board launched “Rx Cares for Missouri,” a community public awareness program promoting medication safety. The campaign highlights appropriate ways to take prescription medication, tips for talking with a pharmacist, recognizing the effects and signs of prescription drug misuse, avoiding medication mistakes and proper medication disposal. The campaign will also bring awareness about services provided by pharmacists such as medication management and counseling, medication review and assessment, developing medication treatment plans, administering vaccines and other prescribed medication and monitoring and evaluating the patient’s response to therapy to increase medication outcomes.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Joel Kurzman at 847-905-0555.