The Board of Pharmacy posted the agenda and meeting materials for the April 5 meeting of the Licensing Committee. 

Also in California, the Department of Health Care Services posted the following updates: 

• On March 29, DHCS received approval from CMS to waive the asset test at redeterminations for members enrolled in Non-Modified Adjusted Gross Income (Non-MAGI) Medi-Cal. The waiver flexibility is effective for renewals retroactive to March 1 through December 31. Asset elimination takes effect on January 1, 2024. This waiver flexibility ensures continuity of coverage for seniors and persons with disabilities who meet all other Medi-Cal eligibility criteria, such as income, and will prevent potential disruptions in their Medi-Cal coverage once redeterminations resume in April 2023.  DHCS issued Medi-Cal Eligibility Division Letter (MEDIL) 23-19 to provide counties with immediate guidance on operationalizing the waiver flexibility.  

• This week, DHCS posted the Medi-Cal Continuous Coverage toolkit in 17 Medi-Cal threshold languages (in addition to the previously posted English and Spanish). Each toolkit includes materials that can be customized to help DHCS Coverage Ambassadors and partners assist Medi-Cal members with the redetermination process. The content encourages members to update their contact information to ensure they receive important information about keeping their Medi-Cal coverage. On April 6, from 1 to 2 p.m., DHCS will host a Continuous Coverage Unwinding and Communications Campaign webinar (advance WebEx registration required) to discuss the Medi-Cal renewal and redetermination process, communications campaign updates, and how DHCS Coverage Ambassadors and other partners can continue to help assist in this important effort. 

• DHCS released a COVID-19 Uninsured Group (UIG) Program toolkit (in English and Spanish) to provide information to more than 500,000 UIG Program members about how to apply for ongoing coverage through Medi-Cal or Covered California before the program ends on May 31, 2023. Due to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency ending, Covered California will open a special enrollment period for UIG Program members that have their coverage ending. The special enrollment period will end 60 days after May 31, 2023. The toolkit offers vital information for DHCS Coverage Ambassadors to share broadly with their networks about where UIG Program members can find the resources to apply for health coverage, including contact details for their local county offices and how to apply online. More information about DHCS’ strategy to unwind the UIG Program is available in the Medi-Cal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency and Continuous Coverage Unwinding Plan posted on the Keeping Medi-Cal Members Covered webpage. 

• As of March 24, Phase III, Lift 1 of the Medi-Cal Rx Reinstatement plan has been successfully implemented. Providers are required to submit prior authorizations for new and renewing prescriptions in specific drug classes for members 22 years of age and older.   

• On March 29, the California Health & Human Services Agency, Department of Managed Health Care, and DHCS held a webinar to walk through the Governor’s proposal to modernize California’s behavioral health system. The proposal builds on the Administrations’ previous investments and policy reforms to re-envision how the state treats mental health and substance use disorders. More information and the presentation are available on the ​Modernizing our Behavioral Health Initiative webpage.  

Also in California, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) posted the following alert on the Medi-Cal Rx Web Portal: Mpox Vaccine No Longer a Family PACT Pharmacy Benefit (March 30).    

Finally in California, Medi-Cal posted the following:   

• 2023 HCPCS Quarter 2 Update (March 30) 
• Mpox Vaccines and Laboratory Tests No Longer a Family PACT Benefit (March 17) 

For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.

The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) posted the following alerts and weekly notices on the Medi-Cal Rx Web Portal.   

• Medi-Cal Rx Weekly Wrap-up for March 17-23 (March 24) 
• Prior Authorization Submission in Advance of the Retirement of the Transition Policy – Processing Issue Resolved (March 24) 
• Reinstatement Spotlight (March 24)  
• Extended Duration Prior Authorizations for Maintenance Medications (March 22) 
• 30-Day Countdown – Phase III, Lift 2: Retirement of the Transition Policy for Beneficiaries 22 Years of Age and Older (March 21)
• Medi-Cal Rx Weekly Wrap-up for March 10-16 (March 17) 
• Reinstatement Spotlight (March 17) 
• Submitting Prior Authorization Requests in Advance of Retirement of the Transition Policy (March 10) 
• Reinstatement Spotlight (March 10) 

 Also in California, Medi-Cal posted the following:  

• March 2023 Pharmacy Medi-Cal Update Bulletin (March 16) 
• March 2023 Durable Medical Equipment and Medical Supplies Medi-Cal Update Bulletin (March 16) 

Finally in California, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has recently initiated efforts to partner with its pharmacy providers in support of a Medi-Cal redetermination initiative for beneficiary outreach, targeted for implementation in early May. DHCS is seeking pharmacies interested in participating. One example of a beneficiary outreach effort would be to affix a DHCS-provided Medicaid renewal message to all Medi-Cal beneficiary prescriptions which would include links and phone numbers to call for eligibility renewal information. If you would like to attend a meeting with DHCS to learn more about this opportunity, please submit the following information to Julie.Cheung@dhcs.ca.gov by March 31. DHCS is targeting early April to hold the first meeting which will include discussion of data-sharing. 

• Name of contact to attend meeting 
• Email address of contact 

For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.

The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) posted the following alerts and weekly notices on the Medi-Cal Rx Web Portal.   

• Medi-Cal Rx Weekly Wrap-Up for February 24-March 2 (March 3) 
• Reinstatement Spotlight (March 3) 

For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.

The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) posted the following alerts and weekly notices on the Medi-Cal Rx Web Portal.  

• Policy Update of Remdesivir (Veklury) for the Outpatient Treatment of COVID-19 as a Pharmacy Benefit (March 1)
• Enteral Nutrition Update: Changes to the Published Enteral Nutrition Policy in the Medi-Cal Rx Provider Manual, Effective April 1, 2023 (March 1) 
• Maximum Allowable Ingredient Cost 30-day Pharmacy Provider Notice (March 1) 
• Pharmacy Provider Dispensing Fee Self-Attestation (March 1) 
• Medi-Cal Rx Monthly Bulletin for March (March 1) 
• Changes to Contract Drugs List (CDL) (March 1)
• Changes to Contract Drugs List (CDL) – Over-the-Counter Drugs (March 1) 
• Updates to the Medi-Cal Rx Provider Manual (March 1) 
• Medi-Cal Rx Weekly Wrap-Up for February 17-23 (February 24) 
• Reinstatement Spotlight (February 24) 
• 30-day Countdown – Phase III, Lift 1: Retirement of the Transition Policy for Beneficiaries 22 Years of Age and Older (February 23)
• New Resources for Providers: COVID-19 Testing and Treatment Support (February 21) 
• Medi-Cal Rx Weekly Wrap-up for February 10-16 (February 17) 
• Reinstatement Spotlight (February 17) 

Also in California, Medi-Cal posted the following: 

• CDPH Offers New Warmline for COVID-19 Testing and Treatment (March 2)
• Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Program: End of Medi-Cal Continuous Coverage (March 1) 
• Medi-Cal Update – Pharmacy – February 2023 – Bulletin 1034 ( 

Also in California, on March 23, 2020, the DHCS published a regulatory provider bulletin (Requirements and Procedures for Emergency Medi-Cal Provider Enrollment) that established amended enrollment requirements and procedures for providers to temporarily and provisionally enroll in the Medi-Cal program during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) as authorized by the Section 1135 waiver granted by the CMS. Effective March 29, 2023, DHCS is discontinuing the provider enrollment flexibilities authorized by the Section 1135 waiver. Providers will have 90 days from the end of the waiver period on March 29, to submit an application for enrollment via the Provider Application and Validation for Enrollment (PAVE) portal. Providers who have not submitted an application by June 27, will have their temporary enrollment deactivated, effective June 28. 

Also in California, Magellan Rx Management posted the archived webinar for the Medi-Cal Rx Pharmacy Provider Dispensing Fee Self-Attestation that was held on February 23.  This online seminar was hosted by Mercer and covered the attestation pharmacies must submit to determine the fee-for-service professional dispensing fee component of the pharmacy claim reimbursement for claims with dates of service within the state’s following fiscal year. The DHCS also posted a current version of the Pharmacy Provider Dispensing Fee Self-Attestation FAQs. 

Finally in California, the Board of Pharmacy posted the agenda and meeting materials for the Medication Error Reduction and Workforce Committee Meeting on March 8. The agenda includes a presentation by Peggy Binzer, Executive Director with the Alliance for Quality Improvements and Patient Safety and a discussion of the most recent report of the Well-Being Index.  

For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.

The Department of Health Care Services posted the following alerts and weekly notices on the Medi-Cal Rx Web Portal. Please note the reinstatement resources and information below. 

• Evusheld® No Longer Authorized to Prevent COVID-19 (February 14) 
• NCPDP Reject Code 83 – Duplicate Paid/Captured Claim (February 14) 
• Reminder: Establishing Medical Necessity (February 14)
• Mpox Treatment Drug, Tecovirimat (TPOXX® or ST-246), as a Medi-Cal Pharmacy Benefit (February 13) 
• Boostrix™ Claims System Issue (February 13) 
• Medi-Cal Rx Weekly Wrap-up for February 3-9 (February 10) 
• Reinstatement Spotlight (February 10) 

Also in California, Medi-Cal posted the following:  

• Medi-Cal Update – Pharmacy – February 2023 – Bulletin 1033 (February 16) 
• Medi-Cal Update – Durable Medical Equipment and Medical Supplies – February 2023 – Bulletin 569 (February 16) 

For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.

The Department of Health Care Services posted the following alerts and weekly notices on the Medi-Cal Rx Web Portal. Please note the reinstatement resources and information below. 

• Drug Use Review (DUR): Additive Toxicity (AT) – System Issue Resolved (February 6) 
• Reinstatement Spotlight (February 3) 
• Correction to Alert Link for 30-day Countdown – Reinstatement of Prior Authorization Requirements for 46 Drug Classes Including Medical Supplies (February 3) 
• Medi-Cal Rx Weekly Wrap-up for January 27-February 2 (February 3) 
• Updated: Appendix H – List of Physician Administered Drugs (PADs) with Reject Code 816 (February 1) 
• Updates to Over-the-Counter (OTC) COVID-19 Antigen Test Kits, Effective March 1, 2023 (February 1) 
• Medi-Cal Rx Monthly Bulletin for February (February 1) 
• Changes to Contract Drugs List (CDL) (February 1) 
• Updates to Medi-Cal Rx Provider Manual (February 1) 
• Medi-Cal Rx Weekly Wrap-up for January 20-26 (January 27) 
• Reinstatement Spotlight (January 27) 

Also in California, Medi-Cal posted the following: Medi-Cal Update – Pharmacy – January 2023 – Bulletin 1032 (Correction) (January 31) 

Finally in California, the Board of Pharmacy posted agenda and meeting materials for the February 15 meeting of the Enforcement and Compounding Committee.  

For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.

The Department of Health Care Services posted the following alerts and weekly notices on the Medi-Cal Rx Web Portal. Please note the reinstatement resources and information below. 

• Enteral Nutrition Updates to the List of Covered Enteral Nutrition Products, Effective January 1, 2023 (January 26) 
• Age Restrictions on Psychotropics – System Issue Resolved (January 25) 
• NCPDP Reject Code 83 – Duplicate Paid/Captured Claim (January 24) 
• 30-day Countdown – Reinstatement of Prior Authorization Requirements for 47 Drug Classes Including Medical Supplies (January 24) 
• Claims Processing Reminders for Medicare Medi-Cal Plans (January 20) 
• Age Restrictions on Psychotropics System Issue (January 20) 
• Medi-Cal Rx Weekly Wrap-up for January 13-19 (January 20) 
• Reinstatement Spotlight (January 20) 
• Medical Supplies: How to Prepare for Retirement of the Transition Policy (January 19) 
• Reminder: Clear Browser Cache (January 18)
• Update on Age Restrictions of Psychotropics (January 17) 
• Reinstatement Spotlight (January 13) 
• Medi-Cal Rx Weekly Wrap-up for January 6-12 (January 13) 

Also in California, Medi-Cal posted the following:  

• Update: Incontinence Product List Medi-Cal Benefit (January 24) 
• Continuity of Care for Transitioning Medi-Cal Members (January 13)
• Medi-Cal Update – Pharmacy – January 2023 – Bulletin 1031 (January 13) 
• Medi-Cal Update – Durable Medical Equipment and Medical Supplies – January 2023 – Bulleting 568 (January 13) 

Also in California, the Board of Pharmacy posted the agenda and the following meeting materials for the Standard of Care Ad Hoc Committee meeting on February 1. 

• Meeting Materials Part 1 
• Meeting Materials Part 2 
• Meeting Materials Part 3 
• Meeting Materials Part 4 

Finally in California, the Board of Pharmacy posted the January 2023 issue of “The Script”, the board’s newsletter. This issue includes the following:  

• New pharmacy laws for 2023. 
• Governor announced end to declared state of emergency related to COVID-19. 
• Statewide program for disposal of sharps waste. 
• USP revised chapters 795 and 797. 
• Renew HSP and DRM licenses online. 
• FDA offers online resources to assist outsourcers and compounders. 
• The Board welcomes two members. 
• Summaries of disciplinary actions ordered July 1 through December 30, 2022. 

For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.

The Department of Health Care Services posted the following alerts and weekly notices on the Medi-Cal Rx Web Portal. Please note the reinstatement resources and information below.  

• How to Prepare for Retirement of the Transition Policy (January 12) 
• Drug Use Review (DUR) Alert System Issue: Additive Toxicity (AT) (January 9) 
• Medi-Cal Rx Weekly Wrap-Up for December 29-January 5 (January 6) 
• Reminder: Drugs Supplied to Nursing Facilities (January 6) 
• Reinstatement Spotlight (January 6) 
• Medical Supplies: Updates to the List of Covered Disposable Insulin Delivery Devices (January 4) 
• Now Active – Cal MediConnect Transition to Medicare MediCal Plans (January 1) 
• Medi-Cal Rx Monthly Bulletin for January (January 1) 
• Changes to the Contract Drugs List (CDL) (January 1) 
• Changes to the Contract Drugs List (CDL) – Authorized Drug Manufacturer Labeler Codes (January 1) 
• Changes to the Contract Drugs List (CDL) – Over-the-Counter Drugs (January 1) 
• Changes to the Pharmacy Reimbursable Physician Administered Drugs (January 1) 
• Updates to the Medi-Cal Rx Provider Manual (January 1) 
• Bebtelovimab No Longer Authorized to Treat COVID-19 (December 30) 
• Reinstatement Spotlight (December 30) 
• Reinstatement Spotlight (December 23) 
• Medical Rx Weekly Wrap-Up for December 16-22 (December 23) 
• Monkeypox Vaccine as a Family PACT Pharmacy Benefit (December 21) 
• 90-Day Countdown – Phase III: Retirement of the Transition Policy for Beneficiaries 22 Years of Age and Older (December 20) 
• 30-Day Countdown – Reinstatement of Prior Authorization Requirements for 39 Drug Classes (December 20) 
• Medi-Cal Rx IVR Enhancement to Enable Additional Self-Service Option! (December 20) 
• Reinstatement Spotlight (December 16) 
• Two-Week Countdown – Cal MediConnect Transition to Medicare MediCal Plans (December 16) 
• Medi-Cal Rx Weekly Wrap-Up for December 9-15 (December 16) 

Also in California, Medi-Cal posted the following:   

• Telehealth Flexibilities and Revisions to the Telehealth Provider Manual (January 6) 
• 2023 HCPCS Quarter 1 Update (December 30) 
• Bebtelovimab No Longer Authorized to Treat COVID-19 (December 27) 
• TAR [Treatment Authorization Request] Requirement Removal and FDA Approvals for Veklury ® (December 23) 
• Coming Soon: Expanded Use of Bivalent Dosages Approved for Children 6 Months and Up (December 20) 
• Medi-Cal News: National Correct Coding Initiative Quarterly Update for January 2023 (December 16) 
• December 2022 Durable Medical Equipment and Medical Supplies Medi-Cal Update Bulletin (December 16) 
• December 2022 Pharmacy Medi-Cal Update Bulletin (December 16) 

For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.

Last week, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) announced plans for the reinstatement of prior authorization and the retirement of the transition policy taking place in a series of phases… II, III and IV. A webpage has been developed for “Medi-Cal Rx Reinstatement” that includes information about the timeline, key days, announcements and alerts and resources. If you already receive Medi-Cal Rx alerts, you will also begin to receive Reinstatement alerts. There is no need to subscribe to an additional listserv according to DHCS staff. 

Also in California, the DHCS posted the following alerts and weekly notices on the Medi-Cal Rx Web Portal. Please note the reinstatement resources in New Resources for Reinstatement Education and Support. 

• New Resources for Reinstatement Education and Support (December 12) 
• COVID-19 Antigen Tests Coverage Reminder (December 9)
• Medi-Cal Rx Weekly Wrap-Up for December 2-8 (December 9) 

Also in California, Medi-Cal posted the following:   

• Monkeypox Vaccines Reimbursement at the Medicare Rate (December 13) 
• Erroneous Cal MediConnect (CMC) Notice (December 9) 
• Meet & Greet Event – March 2023 (December 9)
• Meet & Greet Event – February 2023 (December 9) 

Finally in California, NACDS and the California Retailers Association (CRA) sent several joint letters to the Board of Pharmacy addressing issues of concern to members.  

• With respect to e-prescribing requirements effective January 1, 2023, NACDS and CRA are seeking guidance from the Board about how members can comply with requirements to accept electronic prescriptions without advance notice from a vendor with whom they do not have a current business relationship.  
• We are also seeking clarity from the Board via answers to a brief list of questions to provide members the appropriate guidance to aid their efforts to comply with a 2021 law related to pharmacy quotas; recall, this law only applies to companies operating 75 or more pharmacies in the state under one ownership.  
• Finally, we are expressing concern with a proposal under consideration by the board to create a “staffing floor” that may lead to pharmacy closures if at least one clerk or pharmacy technician is not on staff and fully dedicated to performing pharmacy-related services while the pharmacy is open; this proposal would also permit the pharmacist on duty to close the pharmacy if, in their opinion, the staffing at the pharmacy is inadequate to safely fill or dispense prescriptions or provide services in a safe manner without fear of retaliation. We asked to work with the board on solutions so that pharmacies can remain open to their patients.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.