Florida
Revised PML Tip Sheet, beginning March 1, 2022, an enhancement will be applied to the NPI Mapping Logic which will affect providers and health plans who submit claims and/or encounters to Florida Medicaid. An updated Provider Master List tip sheet is now available on the Managed Care Support section of the Florida Medicaid public Web Portal that details the changes. Health plans are encouraged to review the tip sheet to understand how the enhancement will affect their encounter submissions. Health plans can stay connected by visiting the Florida Medicaid public Web Portal often for the most up-to-date information on these changes. For additional assistance, please contact the Health Plan Support team by emailing healthplan.support@gainwelltechnologies.com.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
Georgia
Georgia Pharmacy Association presents “APhA’s Delivering Medication Therapy Management Services: A Certificate Training Program for Pharmacists.” Sunday, March 27, 2022, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. This live training is being held virtually via Zoom Meetings. Click here to register!
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
Illinois
The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services has posted updated PDL (Preferred Drug List) files.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
Iowa
The Board of Pharmacy announced the following rulemaking actions:
- Adopted: ARC 6174C related to Collaborative Practice Agreements – effective March 16, 2022
- Notice of Intended Action:
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- ARC 6178C related to Compounding Practices RE: Veterinary Practice – comments due by 4:30 p.m. on March 1.
- ARC 6179C related to Controlled Substances – comments due by 4:30 p.m. on March 1, and a public hearing will be held via Zoom at 10:00 a.m. on March 3. Note: the board previously noticed this proposed rule and made significant changes; this is the Amended Notice of Intended Action
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
Massachusetts
MassHealth, Medicaid, has updated its COVID-19 Pharmacy Practice regarding perpetual inventories.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
Michigan
This week both houses of the state legislature overwhelmingly approved HB 4348 which would help enhance patient access to pharmacy services and enhance transparency into the practices of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The legislation will now go to Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D). The Governor has indicated that she does intend to sign the proposal into law.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
Montana
The Department of Public Health and Human Services issued a Notice of Amendment to ARM 37.85.105, updating effective dates of Medicaid fee schedules retroactively to January 1, 2022. Reimbursement for outpatient drugs did not change.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
New Hampshire
This week the New Hampshire State Senate unanimously passed SB (Senate Bill) 229, which will allow a certified pharmacy technician to administer both flu and covid vaccines. The New Hampshire Chain Pharmacy Association testified in support of passage of SB 229. The bill will now move to the House, and it is anticipated that the House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee will hold a hearing during the latter half of March or in April.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
New York
The New York State Department of Health has updated NYS Medicaid Coverage Criteria for COVID-19 Vaccine Counseling. This guidance can be found on the COVID-19 Guidance for Medicaid Providers webpage, which is updated regularly.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
Rhode Island
The Department of Health has filed an Emergency Amendment, effective February 10, 2022 requiring immunization against COVID-19 for all workers in a licensed health care facility and other practicing health care providers.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
South Carolina
Senate Bill S150 the SC Compassionate Care Act, sponsored by Senator Tom Davis (R), which would legalize medical cannabis for certain conditions, passed the Senate this week. The cannabis must be dispensed at a therapeutic cannabis pharmacy, which would be overseen by DHEC and the Board of Pharmacy and would have a licensed PIC. Therapeutic cannabis pharmacies must be separate and distinct from a traditional pharmacy.
Also in South Carolina, The SC Pharmacy Association’s (SCPhA) held their February Board of Director’s meeting and SCPhA House of Delegates at the SCPhA offices. They accepted nominations for both leadership positions and awards for SCPhA2022. The following Board of Director positions are open for nominations: President-Elect, Treasurer, Member-at-Large, Low Country Region Director, Midland Region Director, and speaker-elect. The House is looking to fill 3 Low Country delegate positions and 4 Midlands delegate positions. The nominations from the House floor have already occurred. However, if you are interested in nominating yourself or another individual for one of the open leadership positions, you will need to get 15 (for Board of Directors) or 5 (for delegates) signatures from active members no later than February 21, 2022. For more information and to access the signature form, please click here.
To nominate a person for an Award, please review the nomination criteria by clicking here. You must complete the application and return to SCPhA by March 15, 2022, via email to info@scrx.org. Self-nominations are allowed. Please note that nominations will not be accepted unless supportive statements are provided. Best of luck to anyone hoping to receive one of these prestigious awards.
Finally in South Carolina, Integrating Pharmacists into Primary Care (IPPC): SCPhA Certificate Training Program will be held on April 3, 2022, 8 AM – 12 PM. This certificate training program is designed to help prepare pharmacists to collaborate with medical practices. The curriculum is a combination of clinical and business concepts essential to providing high-quality sustainable services as part of an interdisciplinary team. More information and registration can be found here.
SCPhA is also offering Naloxone training for pharmacists. More information and registration can be found here.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
Tennessee
The Department of Health held a COVID-19 Provider online seminar on February 11, 2022 and discussed availability of certain therapeutics in the state. A recording and slides from the online seminar have been posted online.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
Vermont
On January 1, 2022, the Medicaid pharmacy administration fee for vaccines changed from $13.97 to $13.87. This is to align with changes to the physician fee schedule and does not apply to COVID-19 administration fees. There is further guidance around POS submission, administration fees added to adult ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) recommended vaccines, and enrollment in the Vermont Child Vaccine Program (VCVP).
Also in Vermont, the Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA) contracts with Change Healthcare to support Vermont’s publicly funded pharmacy benefit programs. The Change Healthcare help desk supports all pharmacies and prescribers enrolled in Vermont’s pharmacy benefit programs. It is the first point of contact for pharmacy and medical providers for drug prior authorization requests, drug claims processing issues, and other drug-related questions, concerns, and complaints.
Change Healthcare is conducting a provider satisfaction survey of pharmacies and prescribers and your participation in this survey is particularly important to DVHA as responses from this survey will be used for quality improvement efforts. The entire survey should take less than 5 minutes to complete. Comments are dure by March 15.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
California
The following alerts have been posted to the Medi-Cal Rx Web Portal:
- Medi-Cal Rx Pharmacy Claim Processing for Other Health Care Benefits
- DUR (Drug Utilization Review) Global Board Meeting – February 2022
- Revised Emergency Fill Quantity Limit and Frequency Policy
- Revised Prior Authorization Policy for Pharmacy Providers
- Pharmacy Professional Dispensing Fee Provider Self-Attestation
Also in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) recently appointed two new public members to the Board of Pharmacy filling the remaining public member vacancies. Kula Koenig, of Sacramento, has been Senior Director of Impact at the United Way California Capital Region since 2018. Indira J. Cameron-Banks, of Los Angeles, has been a Sole Practitioner at Cameron Banks Law since 2021.
Also in California, the Board of Pharmacy announced the first meeting of the Standard of Care Ad Hoc Committee being convened consistent with the requirements of AB (Assembly Bill) 1533 (Chapter 629).
Also in California, the Board of Pharmacy distributed its February 2022 Update.
Also in California, the Board of Pharmacy announced a schedule for the listening sessions to hear from California pharmacy technicians. Note: space is limited, and registration is required. The Board is also taking comments via a brief survey.
Finally in California, the Department of Justice issued a notice to all CURES data submitters as a reminder of the transition from Atlantic Associates Inc. to Bamboo Health, the new contractor for prescription data collection services for CURES. Note: dispensers will continue to send data to Atlantic Associate through February 22. Effective February 23, dispensers will be required to report data to CURES via Bamboo Health’s PMP Clearinghouse.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
Colorado
State Senate President Leroy Garcia (D) announced that he has accepted a position with the Biden Administration and will be resigning in mid-February. Senate Democrats selected Sen. Steve Fenberg to be the chamber’s next president.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
District of Columbia
NACDS received an email from Pharmacy Services stating that “effective January 15, 2022, the Department of Health Care Finance (DHCF) is covering FDA-approved COVID-19 Home test kit(s) dispensed by pharmacies enrolled with DC Medicaid. Pharmacies must submit claims through the Fee-for-Service (FFS) Medicaid Pharmacy Benefit Manager to receive reimbursement from DHCF for HSCSN enrollee(s). HSCSN enrollees are eligible for test kits through the DC Medicaid Fee-For-Service program with no co-payment. Feel free to contact the DHCF Division of Clinician, Pharmacy, and Acute Provider Services:
Charlene Fairfax, Senior Pharmacist at (202) 442-9076, charlene.fairfax@dc.gov
Gidey Amare, Pharmacist at (202) 442-5952, gidey.amare@dc.gov
Jonas Terry, Pharmacist at (202) 478-1415, jonas.terry@dc.gov
Magellan (Pharmacy Benefit Manager) at 1-800-273-4962″
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
Florida
As part of the Agency for Health Care Administration’s (Agency) quality initiatives, the Agency requested that each Medicaid health plan develop provider resource guides with direct service lines, escalation contacts, and after-hours instructions covering a wide range of service areas. The following service areas can be found in each plan’s resource guide:
- Behavioral Health
- Case Management
- Community Resources
- Perinatal Care
- Pharmacy
- Subcontracted Services
- Transportation
- Utilization Management
The Agency’s goals with this initiative are to improve communication and coordination between plans and providers, and more specifically: to reduce readmissions by improving communication among health plans and providers; to improve members’ access to timely and appropriate services post-discharge; and to streamline the coordination of behavioral health services for members, especially those with substance use disorder (SUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD).
Each plan’s resource guide has been posted publicly on their respective websites, but may be easily accessed from the Florida Medicaid Health Plan Resources page on the Agency’s website. The Agency encourages providers to explore the resource guides for the health plans with which they contract and to utilize them to coordinate services for members they serve.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
Georgia
The Georgia Board of Pharmacy has just begun the process for reviving a quarterly, electronic newsletter. President of the Board, Dean Stone has appointed Chuck Page and Young Chang to lead this effort. Chuck has reached out and asked that our members provide him with the email addresses of everyone in their pharmacy operations whom they want to begin receiving these future newsletters. Please just provide this information directly to Chuck Page. His email address is chuck.page@kroger.com.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
Louisiana
The Board of Pharmacy is meeting at 9 AM on February 17th in Baton Rouge. Items on the agenda of interest include legislative proposals on collaborative practice agreements, statewide protocols for patient care services and immunizations.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
Maryland
The Office of Pharmacy Services has issued a new bulletin applying to COVID-19 Home Test Kit Coverage and another new bulletin regarding coverage for oral COVID-19 antivirals for the Medicaid Fee-for-Service (FFS) Program. Anyone interested in directly receiving upcoming Advisories may forward his/her name, company affiliation and email address directly to Deborah.washington@maryland.gov
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
Massachusetts
The Massachusetts Board of Pharmacy has updated two policies. Policy 2022-01 dealing with loss or theft of Controlled Substances which now requires confirmed and possible losses be reported within a 7 calendar days period. The second policy change deals with USP 800 in Community Pharmacies.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
Missouri
Legislation that would expand pharmacists’ scope of practice bill, HB 2452 by Rep. Bennie Cook (R) was referred to the House Emerging Issues Committee. Hearing date has not been set.
Also in Missouri, HB 2452 & SB (Senate Bill) 1126, legislation has been filed in both the House and Senate that proposes to modify the definition of a medication therapeutic plan by repealing language defining it by the prescription order must be specific to each patient, The bills also would re-define the practice of pharmacy to include the ordering and administering of U.S. FDA-approved or authorized vaccines to persons at least 7 years of age or the CDC-approved age, whichever is older, pursuant to rules promulgated by the Board of Pharmacy and the Board of Registration for the Healing Arts or rules promulgated under a state of emergency.
Finally in Missouri, effective February 4, 2022, an emergency rule reinstated pharmacy’s ability to use out-of-state vendors to help fill orders for drugs.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
Nevada
Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) ended the state’s mask mandate effective immediately, February 10, 2022.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
North Carolina
In response to the passage of House Bill 96 and House Bill 196, the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy has published proposed rules in the North Carolina Register to implement this legislation in three specific areas. The Board will accept written comments on these rules until May 2, 2022, and these comments can be sent to Jay Campbell by email at ncboprulemaking@ncbop.org. The Board will also hold a remote public hearing on these proposed rules on April 28, 2022, at 10:00 am.
- House Bill 96 required the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy to adopt rules creating a Code of Ethics for Pharmacists. The Board has proposed 21 NCAC 46 .1820 incorporates the American Pharmacist Code of Ethics.
- House Bill 96 authorized pharmacy technicians and pharmacy interns to administer vaccines and immunizations allowed under N.C.G.S. 90-85.15B including COVID-19 Vaccines and Influenza vaccines for patients ten years of age and older. The Board has proposed changes to 21 NCAC 46 .2507 (Administration of Vaccines by Pharmacists) by creating a new subsection (c) to set-out the requirements for pharmacy technicians and pharmacy interns to administer these vaccines including required training, supervision, offers of counseling and continuing education. Of note the required training is a practical training program approved by the Accreditation Council of Pharmacy Education.
Code of Ethics for Pharmacists (21 NCAC 46.1820) and Changes to Immunizing Pharmacists Rules (21 NCAC 46.2507) – http://www.ncbop.org/LawsRules/1820_2507ProposedCodeofEthics_AdminVaccinesPublicHearingApr282022.pdf
- House Bill 196 and subsequently amended by House Bill 96 authorizes immunizing pharmacists to administer long-acting injectables and the proposed 21 NCAC 46 .2514 implements this new practice area by defining what constitutes a “long-acting injectable”, provides training requirements and acceptable training programs, sets out a standard as far as possession of the long-acting injectable drug and creates records keeping requirements for the immunizing pharmacist.
Administration of Long-Acting Injectables (21 NCAC 46. 2514) – http://www.ncbop.org/LawsRules/2514_ProposedRuleAdminLongActingInjectablesPublicHearingApr282022.pdf
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
Ohio
The Department of Health has announced that for a limited time, vaccine providers who plan to administer COVID-19 vaccines to children ages 6 months through 4 years can place advance orders for the vaccine. This advance ordering window allows providers the chance to be among the first recipients of the new formulation created for this age group. Ordering is now open through the ImpactSIIS Vaccine Ordering Management System (VOMS), and orders for this initial ordering window must be submitted no later than noon on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022. It is important to note that any providers placing orders for this first set of deliveries must have staff available to receive the shipment on President’s Day, Feb. 21.
Also in Ohio: The Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee (JMOC) will hold their monthly meeting on February 17 at 9am in the Senate Finance Room. Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran will provide an update on programs. You can access more information on JMOC’s webpage and it may be streamed and recorded on The Ohio Channel.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.