The Board of Pharmacy issues a proposed rule to adopt regulations under AAC 680-X-2 to establish standards under which a pharmacist, pharmacist intern, or pharmacist extern would administer immunizations. A hearing is scheduled for March 17, 2021, in Birmingham. Comments are due March 6, 2021.

Also in Alabama. The Board of pharmacy published an emergency rule to adopt regulations under AAC 680-X-2 to establish temporary provisions to authorize vaccination by registered pharmacy technicians under the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist. The rule is effective January 20, 2021 and expires upon removal of the governor’s state of emergency or May 20, 2021, whichever is sooner.

Lastly in Alabama. The Board of Pharmacy issues a final rule to amend regulations under AAC 680-X-2 to revise pharmacist consultant continuing education requirements to reflect the renewal cycle. The rule is effective March 17, 2021.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.

The Board of Pharmacy has published a proposed rule to amend regulations under AAC 680-X-2 to clarify the penalty for late payment of the annual permit fee for manufacturers, wholesale drug distributors, private label distributors, repackagers, third-party logistics providers, outsourcers, and reverse distributors. A hearing is scheduled for March 17, 2021, in Birmingham. Comments are due March 6, 2021.

Also in Alabama. All previously published expiration dates related to the COVID-19 emergency have once again been extended by the Alabama Medicaid Agency (Medicaid). The new expiration date is the earlier of February 28, 2021, the conclusion of the COVID-19 national emergency, or any expiration date noticed by the Alabama Medicaid Agency through a subsequent ALERT. A listing of previous Provider ALERTs and notices related to the health emergency is available by selecting the Agency’s COVID-19 page in the bottom section at the following website: https://medicaid.alabama.gov/news_detail.aspx?ID=13729.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.

The Alabama Board of Pharmacy published a final rule to amend regulations under AAC 680-X-2 to revise parenteral sterile therapy requirements to reflect the renewal cycle. The rule also requires pharmacists performing high-risk sterile compounding to complete an additional 4-hour, board approved high-risk program. In addition, the rule requires sterile compounding pharmacists to complete 2 continuing education hours each renewal cycle. The rule is will be effective on February 14, 2021.

Also in Alabama. The Board of Pharmacy published a final rule to amend regulations under AAC 680-X-2 to revise preceptor training requirements to reflect the renewal cycle. The rule is also effective on February 14, 2021. 

Also in Alabama. Effective immediately all references to “Reenrollment” will be replaced with the term “Revalidation” to match current Medicare terminology. These changes will be made to all future letters sent to providers referencing the re-enrollment program/processes as well as information contained on the Provider Enrollment website. Providers are also now able to begin uploading their completed revalidations through the secure provider web portal. Additional instructions for uploading revalidation applications and documentation can be found on the Provider Enrollment and Form page under the Revalidation section on the Medicaid website here.

Lastly in Alabama. The Board of Medical Examiners posted a proposed rule to adopt regulations under AAC 540-X-26 to establish requirements for collaborative practice between physicians and pharmacists. The rule would add requirements for collaborative drug therapy management agreements, standards for physicians, reporting, patient care protocols, and the formulary. Comments are due February 4, 2021.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.

Please find attached the Alabama Medicaid ALERT for pharmacy billing of the COVID-19 vaccine administration (you can also find the ALERT here).

For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.

Alabama Medicaid will allow reimbursement of a vaccine administration fee to Medicaid providers who utilize federally allocated COVID-19 vaccines.

• Payment rates for COVID-19 vaccine administration will be $28.39 to administer single-dose vaccines.
• For a COVID-19 vaccine requiring a series of two or more doses, the initial dose(s) administration payment rate will be $16.94, and $28.39 for the administration of the final dose in the series.
• These rates recognize the costs involved in administering the vaccine, including the additional resources involved with required public health reporting, conducting important outreach and patient education, and spending additional time with patients to answer any questions they may have about the vaccine.

To receive, administer, and report COVID-19 vaccines, healthcare providers must enroll in the Alabama Department of Public Health’s (ADPH) ImmPRINT COVID-19 Vaccination Program. Follow the steps in the ImmPRINT Registration Roadmap to enroll.

Also in Alabama. The Department of Public Health published a notice announcing the withdrawal of a September 30 final rule that amended regulations under AAC 420-7-2 to add tianeptine to the Schedule II list of controlled substances. The rule also removed Epidiolex® from the list of Schedule V controlled substances.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.