Massachusetts
The MassHealth Pharmacy Program updated pharmacists on standing orders for dispensing over-the-counter prenatal vitamins and over-the-counter oral hormonal birth control.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
Minnesota
A deal was reached this week to end the partisan stalemate in the Minnesota House of Representatives. The stalemate resulted when the November election left Republicans holding a one-vote majority by virtue of an open seat in a strongly Democratic district. The Democratic candidate is expected to easily win the seat in the March 11 special election and tie the House 67-67. In the interim, Democrats boycotted session, leaving Republicans without the quorum required to conduct business. The deal gives Rep. Leader Lisa Demuth (R) the Speakership through 2026 and her party control of committees until the special election. Following the election, the parties will share power by co-chairing the committees.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
Nevada
The Legislature convened its biennial session on February 3. Several bills pharmacy groups collaborated on during the interim have been filed, including:
- AB 186 by Assemblymember David Orentlicher (D) expands pharmacist scope of practice.
- SB 118 by Senator Jeff Stone (R) establishes payment parity for Medicaid.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
New Jersey
On February 3, Gov. Phil Murphy (D) signed A1899/S1981, an Act to expand authority of pharmacy technicians to administer drugs and vaccines and permit certain pharmacists and pharmacy interns, externs, and technicians to administer COVID-19 vaccines. The law becomes effective upon signature. The Board of Pharmacy may enact regulations necessary to enable the law’s intent.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
Oklahoma
The Legislature convened its biennial session on February 3. Several bills of interest to pharmacies have been filed.
- SB 741 by Sen. Todd Gollihare (R) authorizes pharmacists to screen for and initiate drug therapy for minor, nonchronic health conditions in accordance with a standing order. The bill was referred to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.
- SB 906 by Sen. Paul Rosino (R) requires retail pharmacies to maintain a pharmacy technician-to-pharmacist ratio of up to five pharmacy technicians for every pharmacist and was referred to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.
- SB 907 by Sen. Paul Rosino (R) authorizes pharmacies to engage in product fulfillment with a central filling pharmacy if the pharmacies have the same owner or have entered into a written contract or agreement, share a common electronic file, or can access information required to dispense or process a prescription. The bill was referred to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.
- SB 789 by Sen. Todd Gollihare (R) establishes auditing requirements and a commercial rate floor ensuring that pharmacies are reimbursed no less than 106% of the National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) plus a professional fee of $15.00.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
Oregon
The Prescription Drug Affordability Board posted it’sits agenda for the February 19 meeting. Register here in advance.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
Pennsylvania
The House Health Committee unanimously advanced HB 60, legislation that will bring the Commonwealth into compliance with federal law, allowing pharmacies to transfer Schedule II prescriptions electronically. The full House intends to pass it when they return to session the week of March 17. It will then go to the Senate for consideration.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
Tennessee
The Board of Pharmacy has released proposed rules regarding pharmacist-delegated technician authorities. NACDS has carefully reviewed these rules and shared our concerns with members. NACDS will submit feedback to the Board of Pharmacy by the February deadline.
Also in Tennessee, the Belmont University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences will host a virtual conference on February 25 from 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm CST, focused on new FDA-approved drugs in 2024. Registration is required with a fee of $15 for pharmacists and $10 for other healthcare professionals, and participants must meet specific criteria to earn one hour of ACPE Pharmacy CE credit. Registration deadline is February 23. Register here!
Finally in Tennessee, program updates to the TennCare Diaper Benefit Program are coming soon. Please watch the Division of TennCare Diaper benefit website and the OptumRx/TennCare website for information about an upcoming online seminar and added resources to assist pharmacies. Current TennCare pharmacy resources are also posted on the TennCare website.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
Texas
Gov. Greg Abbott (R) delivered his state-of-the-state address online on February 2.
Also in Texas, the Board of Pharmacy approved proposed rules removing the ratio of pharmacists to pharmacy technicians in a central fill facility.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
California
As of January 27, the Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, and Hughes Fire have burned nearly 50,000 acres in the Los Angeles County area. The Palisades Fire is at 94% containment, Eaton Fire is at 98% containment, Hughes Fire is at 95% containment. There have been minimal pharmacy closures in the impacted areas of California due to the wildfires. Healthcare Ready deactivated RxOpen on January 28 but will be monitoring the event in case any other impacts arise.
The Emergency Prescription Assistance Program (EPAP) was activated last week– and will remain active through March 15, 2025 – for those impacted by the California wildfires. Pharmacies and pharmacists play an essential role in educating patients about the availability of EPAP benefits. We encourage and support sharing the resources below with the public to enhance awareness:
- ASPR EPAP Notice: https://aspr.hhs.gov/EPAP/Pages/California-Wildfires-2025.aspx
- EPAP Website: https://aspr.hhs.gov/epap/Pages/default.aspx
- EPAP Hotline: 855-793-7470 (TTY 1-800-876-1089)
- Link to Fact Sheets:
NACDS is working with Healthcare Ready to provide support with outreach. Any insight, feedback or concerns regarding patient utilization of EPAP is appreciated. Please share your feedback with NACDS’ Lincy Abraham no later than February 3. If you are interested and willing to help support efforts to enhance awareness, you may also contact Healthcare Ready at 866-247-2694.
Also in California, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking pertaining to Pharmacist Services, DHCS-19-002. The written comment period closes on February 5, 2025. DHSC posted the following related to the Public Comment Period
- Initial Statement of Reasons
- Proposed Regulation Text (PDF)
- Proposed Regulation Text (PDF) (Text Only)
Also in California, the Department of Health Care Services posted the following weekly notice on the Medi-Cal Rx Web Portal: Medi-Cal Rx Weekly Wrap-up for January 17-23.
Also in California, the Board of Pharmacy has proposed additional modifications to Title 16 CCR § 1711, related to the Quality Assurance Programs. Any person who wishes to comment on the proposed modifications may do so by submitting written comments beginning January 27 and ending on February 11, to the following:
Contact Person: Lori Martinez
Agency Name: California State Board of Pharmacy
Address: 2720 Gateway Oaks Drive, Ste 100, Sacramento, CA 95834
Email: PharmacyRulemaking@dca.ca.gov
Fax: (916) 574-8618
Any responses to comments directly concerning the proposed modifications to the text of the regulations will be considered and responded to in the Final Statement of Reasons.
All documents related to this regulatory action are available on the Board’s website: https://www.pharmacy.ca.gov/laws_regs/pending_regs.shtml.
Also in California, the board of pharmacy issued a reminder that licenses that are eligible for renewal will be processed online effective January 1, 2025. Those who are eligible include:
- Pharmacist
- Advanced Practice Pharmacist
- Pharmacy Technician
- Designated Representative – Wholesaler
- Designated Representative – Veterinary Food-Animal Drug Retailer
- Designated Representative – 3PL
- Designated Representative – Reverse Distributor
In most cases, the license expires at the end of the month of the licensee’s registered birthday for pharmacists, advanced practice pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. For designated representatives, the license expires at the first of the month.
The Board of Pharmacy will no longer mail out a paper renewal application for the above licenses. In its place, a postcard reminder will be sent approximately six weeks prior to the license expiration date and the licensee will renew by going to www.pharmacy.ca.gov. The postcard is only a reminder, if the licensee does not receive a postcard, they are still required to submit his/her payment on-time to avoid a delinquency fee and possible cancellation of the license.
For Pharmacists and Advanced Practice Pharmacists, if your license expired more than two years ago, you are not eligible to renew your license online. Contact the Board at RenewalStatus@dca.ca.gov for assistance.
Renewal payment transactions must be completed prior to 5:00 pm Pacific on the date the license expires to avoid the delinquency fee.
Online payments made after 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time are not credited on the day of the transaction. Print the payment confirmation at the end of this transaction for your records. Once the online payment is submitted, please allow two business days for processing.
Licensees are required to notify the board of any change of address within 30 days. Change of address may take between 7-10 business days to update in the system. If the correct address is not in the system at the time of renewal, the process may be delayed. Address changes can be made on-line or in writing to the board.
When renewing online, the licensee must confirm that his/her address is correct before submitting the paymentFees changed beginning January 1, 2025. The updated fee schedule with the new fees has been posted on the board’s website.
Also in California, the Board of Pharmacy posted the February 5-6, 2025 Board meeting agenda on its website. Of interest, please note the discussion and possible action related to compounded drug preparations, hazardous drugs and radiopharmaceuticals and waiver of pharmacy law provisions in response to the state of emergency related to the Palisades Fire.
Finally in California, Covered California announced a special enrollment period for residents of Los Angeles and Ventura counties until March 8, 2025. Resources are available through Los Angeles County and the State of California. Of the 1.3 million uninsured Californians who qualify for subsidies through Covered California or are eligible for Medi-Cal coverage, 356,000 reside in Southern California. Through the BenefitsCal portal, Californians can get and manage benefits online. This includes food assistance (CalFresh, formerly food stamps), cash aid (CalWORKs, General Assistance, Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants), and affordable health insurance (Medi-Cal).
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
Florida
The Agency for Health Care Administration (Agency) contracts with Medicaid health and dental plans to provide State Plan services to health plan enrollees in the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care (SMMC) program. The Agency recently contracted with health and dental plans effective February 1, 2025. In this new iteration of SMMC, the Medicaid regions have been realigned into nine regions from eleven. The regional naming convention has also changed, with regions 1-9 have become regions A-I. The Agency has posted a map of the regional changes ,a list of the plans by type, and plan coverage. Visit the Agency’s SMMC 3.0 webpage for more information. Please refer to the SMMC 3.0 website for more information.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
Indiana
NACDS submitted comments to the Senate Health Care and Wellness Committee in support of SB 503, which includes to ensure network adequacy, requirements that PBMs reimburse pharmacies at a minimum of the acquisition cost of a drug and an adequate professional dispensing fee (PDF) equal to the Medicaid fee-for-service (FFS) PDF. Also, the bill prohibits steering patients, defines specialty drugs, prohibits certain fees, and provides additional oversight and enforcement in the Office of the Attorney General.
Also in Indiana, SB 140, a more limited PBM reform bill modeled after the Kentucky law, passed the Senate Health Care and Wellness Committee and was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee for further action. This bill requires the Insurance Commissioner to determine minimum reimbursement for a professional dispensing fee based on a cost of dispensing study done every two years. It also requires PBMS to file an annual report on adequate networks and establishes a process for filing complaints.
Also in Indiana, HB 1606, a bill prohibiting spread pricing, was referred to the House Insurance Committee.
Also in Indiana, SB 96, immunization clean-up legislation addressing age restrictions and the list of immunizations allowed to be administered by a pharmacist was referred to the Senate Public Policy Committee.
Finally in Indiana, HB 1571, a scope of practice expansion and clean-up bill, address multiple issues including immunizations, Test and Treat, pharmacy technician duties, MAT and payment for services. The bill was referred to the House Public Health Committee.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
Kentucky
MedImpact, the Medicaid Single PBM, held its 1st quarter pharmacy providers meeting this week. You can review the slide deck, as well as those from previous meetings on the provider portal page.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
Maine
On February 6, 2025, the Maine Board of Pharmacy will hold their regular scheduled meeting. The agenda includes election of officers, opportunity to comment on the function of the board, and consideration of a Maine Academy of Physician Associates request related to routine license verification by pharmacists and a Maine Prevention Services request to partner with pharmacists to educate communities about ‘Maine QuitLink’.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
Massachusetts
NACDS and the Massachusetts Chain Pharmacy Council have begun engaging the governor’s office and legislative leaders on the budget proposal that includes a $2/prescription assessment to help pay for MassHealth pharmacy benefit program.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
Nebraska
Tobacco Free Nebraska announced its partnership with the Mayo Clinic’s Nicotine Dependence Center to host Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training in Lincoln.
Tobacco Treatment Specialist (TTS) training is a specialized training for healthcare professionals about providing treatment for individuals seeking to quit tobacco. The program is worth 29 AMA, ANCC, ACPE, or CE credits and covers topics such as pharmacotherapy, motivational interviewing, evidence-based practice, sustaining tobacco treatment protocols and working with special populations. This course is delivered through a blended learning format in which instruction is completed first online through the Brightspace platform as a self-paced training, followed by a live, interactive 3-day training in Lincoln on March 4-6, 2025. The cost of the training registration is funded by Tobacco Free Nebraska, so no cost is associated with registration.
The online portion of training opens January 28 and closes February 28, so individuals are encouraged to register now to have ample time to complete the online portion of the training that is due before participation in the in-person class on March 4-6.
The training is for healthcare professionals, including pharmacists, who have a strong interest in the field of tobacco or health or provide clinical care to people who use tobacco. Participants must be tobacco-free for at least six months prior to starting the training. To complete full certification, 240 practice hours must be completed within two years of the training. Click here for more information on requirements.
Registration is available online. Click “create an account” to begin the registration process. Reach out to Kyla Scott if you have any questions.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
Nevada
The Legislature convenes on February 3, 2025.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
North Carolina
Governor Josh Stein (D) announced an executive order that directs cabinet agencies to safeguard medical privacy, ensures women receive accurate information about their pregnancies, and protects doctors providing lawful reproductive health care.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
Oklahoma
The Legislature convenes on February 3, 2025.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
Oregon
The February 5-7 Board of Pharmacy Meeting agenda and meeting materials are now available. Please note that on February 5, the board will meet in Executive Session immediately after recusal announcements and anticipates resuming Open Session between 4:00-5:00 pm. Also on February 6, the board will meet in Executive Session after roll call and anticipates resuming Open Session between 10:00 am – 12:00 noon. The board will meet in Open Session on February 7. Additional meeting materials may be added to the agenda prior to the board meeting. Visit the board website for current meeting materials.
Also in Oregon, the Board of Pharmacy announced the following board member opportunity: Pharmacist – Board Member. Board members are appointed by Gov. Tina Kotek (D) and each Board member serves at the pleasure of the Governor. Interesting persons my apply to serve on the Board; please visit the Board Member Opportunities page, review ORS 689.115 and apply via Workday. For more information visit the State of Oregon Boards and Commissions website.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
Pennsylvania
As a result of the passage of Act 77, The Insurance Department (PID) announced a process for pharmacies to dispute a drug’s designation as a “specialty drug” by a PBM or insurer. PID also published a non-binding, non-exclusive list of “specialty drugs,” as well as guidance on how a pharmacy can request a review of a specialty drug designation. This process will be available in 2025 for drugs covered by large group policies issued after October 15, 2024, and by individual and small group policies issued on or after January 1, 2026. Beginning in 2026, PID will also release two annual reports, a Network Adequacy Report is due by April, and a Transparency report will be available by July. These reports will provide critical data on manufacturer rebates and pharmacy reimbursement rates to help identify areas for further action or reform.
NACDS strongly encourages members to review both the proposed list and the complaint process and share your comments with Jill McCormack. We intend to work with PID to help you build and revise the list and to encourage the most efficient process for our members to dispute designations.
PBMs and pharmacies can find more information on Act 77, including a schedule that outlines the Act’s full implementation dates, visit PID’s website. To submit a complaint, contact the PID’s Consumer Services Bureau online or at 1-877-881-6388.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
Tennessee
The Board of Pharmacy has released the proposed rules on pharmacist-delegated technician authorities. The Pharmacy Association wants to hear your thoughts on the proposed rules. A rulemaking hearing will take place on February 27th.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
Texas
The House of Representatives, under the new leadership of Speaker Dustin Burrows (R), established new rules stating that House committees’ chairmanships will be held by the majority party – Republicans, and the vice chairs will be held by the minority party – Democrats.
Also in Texas, the agenda for the February 4, 2025, Board of Pharmacy meeting is now available. For those note able to attend, the meeting will be Live Streamed.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
Vermont
The Vermont Office of Profession Regulation (OPR) is conducting a public hearing on the proposed Pharmacy Administrative Rules update. Public comments are welcome until March 31, 2025. To submit comments, please email sos.opr.comments@vermont.gov.
OPR will also hold three public meetings to invite comment from the public and stakeholders on the draft Administrative Rules. Public hearings will be held at 89 Main Street, 3rd floor, Montpelier, VT 05620. To join the meetings online, see the information below:
Tuesday, February 18, 2025, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 293 389 690 612
Passcode: 9Th7n98t
Dial in by phone
Phone conference ID: 168 777 875#
Wednesday, February 19, 2025, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Meeting ID: 257 060 957 271
Passcode: Hj2ZQ2MN
Dial in by phone
Phone conference ID: 207 994 027#
Thursday, February 20, 2025, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 212 020 234 592
Passcode: RE2J2EA2
Dial in by phone
Phone conference ID: 301 656 014#
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
Virginia
Two bills that would require DMAS (Department of Medical Assistance Services) to contract directly with a SPBM to manage the Medicaid managed care pharmacy benefit are quickly advancing this session. NACDS testified in favor of SB 875, sponsored by Sen. Aaron Rouse (D), that was later approved by both the Education and Health Committee and the Finance Committee. The bill now heads to the Senate Floor for a vote. In the House, The Health and Human Services Committee approved HB 2610 and advanced it to the Appropriation Committee. Identical fiscal notes were issued for the bills and they include cost savings estimates. NACDS is working with members, in-state partners and DMAS to support this effort.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.