Nevada
The Board of Pharmacy posted the agenda for the March 6 & 7 meeting in Las Vegas.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
New York
On February 27, the State Department of Health Office of Health Insurance Programs approved the release of the January 2024 Medicaid Update.
- eConsults (Cover)
- NY State of Health Public Health Emergency Unwind Fact Sheet for Providers Now Available
- Zynteglo® (betibeglogene autotemcel): Medicaid Practitioner Administered Drugs Update
- Reminder: New York State Medicaid Covers Nirsevimab, Abrysvo and Arexvy for the Prevention of Respiratory Syncytial Virus
- Updated Fees for Family Planning Services
- Medicaid Managed Long Term Care Transportation Carve Out Begins March 1, 2024
Also in New York, the State Board of Pharmacy will be holding its regular meeting on March 7 at 10:00 am in New York City. The Board advises that members of the public wishing to observe the Board of Pharmacy’s public session must email their full name to the Pharmacy Board office (pharmbd@nysed.gov) at least 48 hours in advance. Failure to notify the Board office may result in delayed entry to the meeting. For security purposes, a valid Government issued ID will be required for admittance.
Also in New York, S8545, was introduced last week at the request of NACDS and the Community Pharmacy Association of New York State. This legislation would (1) remove the limitation on where “registered pharmacy technicians” can practice in the state to all pharmacy settings; (2) add vaccine administration authority to the duties of registered pharmacy technicians; and (3) provide greater flexibility in the supervision standard for pharmacists overseeing registered pharmacy technicians from a “direct personal supervision” standard to being immediately available. An Assembly companion bill will be introduced soon.
Also in New York, on February 13, the State Department of Health issued a new non-patient specific prescription for naloxone with pharmacy dispensing protocol effective February 13, 2024, through February 12, 2026.
Finally in New York, the State has expanded its existing efforts at monitoring and understanding prescription drug prices by enacting legislation addressing prescription drug price transparency. Effective June 19, 2024, S599-A/A1707 amends the New York Insurance Law to require prescription drug manufacturers to report certain price increases before they occur.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
Ohio
The Board of Pharmacy has published a schedule of 2024 board meetings.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Pharmacists Association’s (OPhA) Legislative Day at the Capitol is on March 5. Michael Leake, Deputy Attorney General and Director of the PBM unit, will update on efforts to oversee the enforcement of the Patients Right to Pharmacy Choice Act and the Audit Integrity Act.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
Oregon
SB 1506 (Enrolled) passed the House and will be sent to Gov. Tina Kotek (D). This bill would allow a pharmacist to test and prescribe, dispense, and administer treatment for SAVS-CoV-2 consistent with protocols adopted by the State Board of Pharmacy by rule. It would also permit a pharmacist to delegate to a pharmacy technician or an intern under the pharmacist’s supervision the administrative and technical tasks of performing a SARS-CoV-2 CLIA-waived test. Finally, the bill would require payment for these services effective October 1, 2024, with a sunset date of June 30, 2026.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
South Dakota
HB 1147 (Enrolled), legislation addressing discriminatory acts against entities participating in a 340B drug pricing program, was delivered to Gov. Kristi Noem (R) on February 27.
Also in South Dakota, Heather Petermann is Medicaid Director for the Department of Social Services. Heather previously led the Health Care Research and Quality division within the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
Tennessee
Tennessee Pharmacy Association (TPA) asked pharmacy technicians to complete TPA’s pharmacy technician survey Survey topics include responsibilities, advanced technician roles, direct patient care roles, well-being, and certifications. Participation will help TPA gain insight into the roles that pharmacy technicians hold within different settings of pharmacy practice.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
Texas
The State Board of Pharmacy (TSBP) adopted and proposed several new rules at the February quarterly meeting.
Also in Texas, the TSBP publishes a monthly newsletter aimed at informing interested parties about law and rule changes and news relating to the practice of pharmacy in the state.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
Vermont
Effective February 21, Change Healthcare started to experience network issues expected to continue throughout the weekend. To ensure Medicaid members receive necessary prescriptions and pharmacies have necessary guidance the agency offered the following:
- Claim Processing/Prescription and Emergency Fills: Claims are not processing currently. Existing federal law requires that a 72-hour emergency supply of a prescription drug be dispensed to Medicaid patients when the medication is needed without delay. Claims will be processed once the Change Healthcare system issues have been resolved. It is expected that providers will adhere to the provider agreements, which prohibit billing members when Medicaid will pay for services. Please refer to the provider manual for the limitations on billing members Vermont Medicaid Provider Manual (vtmedicaid.com).
- Eligibility: Eligibility must be verified through the automated Voice Response System (VRS), 800.925.1706, option 1 and then option 1 again or by utilizing online Transaction Services (https://vtmedicaid.com/#/home). For those members indicating new enrollment as of February 23, please call Maximus at 855-899-9600 during business hours and for afterhours please call the automated Voice Response System (VRS).
- Pharmacy Procedures: Many pharmacies have established internal procedures to handle such situations and we encourage dispensing medications to affected members to ensure continuity of care.
- Prior Authorizations: The outage is impacting the ability to issue prior authorizations. Therefore, prior authorization will be retroactively reviewed and applied for prescriptions filled during the system outage. Pharmacies must review the PDL to ensure the criteria is met prior to issuing new medications. Preferred Drug List (PDL) & Clinical Criteria | Department of Vermont Health Access
- Refills should be issued as requested based on the member’s history and clinical judgement. These claims will also be subject to a retroactive review.
- Controlled substance prescriptions: Please review the Vermont Prescription Monitoring System (VPMS) system as required.
- Helpdesk Access: Due to the outage, pharmacies are temporarily unable to contact the pharmacy helpdesk via phone or fax. Change Healthcare has indicated that the cause of the outage has been identified and they are working actively to restore normal operations. For questions, contact the Department of Vermont Health Access Pharmacy team at 802-879-5000 or ahs.dvhaph@vermont.gov.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.