SB 360, as amended by the Senate Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee on February 6, requires PBMs to charge health benefit plans the same price for a prescription drug as they pay to pharmacies. The bill also establishes a reimbursement rate floor for pharmacies, mandating payment of no less than the National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) plus a professional dispensing fee of $10.50.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
SB 360, the Consumer Prescription Protection and Accountability Act, a PBM reform bill that gives the Department of Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt, a pharmacist, more enforcement tools on audits, spread pricing and patent choice of pharmacy, was heard in the Senate Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee on January 28 and 29. NACDS submitted a statement of support.
Also in Kansas, at the January 29 hearing in the House Health and Human Services Committee, NACDS was on the record in support of HB 2157, which would expand pharmacists' scope of practice to test and treat for COVID-19.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
The Legislature will convene on January 12 and adjourn by April 10.
Also in Kansas, Mandy Czechanski is the new Executive Director of the Kansas Pharmacy Association (KPhA).
Finally in Kansas, the Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) hired Myers and Stauffer to conduct a study on the cost of dispensing. The results confirmed what pharmacists have been saying all along, that the cost to dispense has risen rapidly while reimbursements continue to decline. The results showed the cost to dispense a prescription is $11.38 for chain pharmacies and $15.85 for independent pharmacies, which is well above the current Medicaid rate of $10.50.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
The legislative research department issued an agenda for special interim committee meeting to discuss the 340B drug program and PBMs.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
The Board of Pharmacy is seeking a pharmacist to volunteer to serve on the Collaborative Drug Therapy Management Committee to review the current statewide protocols for testing and initiation of therapy for influenza, acute group A strep and acute uncomplicated UTI in women. Interested parties must submit a resume and letter of interest to pharmacy@ks.gov by September 2.
Also in Kansas, the University of Kansas School of Medicine – Wichita, the Kansas Hospital Association and DCCCA, are conducting a study designed to improve access to substance use disorder (SUD) care aimed at identifying the barriers to treating individuals with SUDs.
Finally, the Board of Pharmacy adopted several new rules at the July 11 meeting, which will go into effect in August 2025.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
Gov. Laura Kelly (D) appointed two new pharmacists members to the Board of Pharmacy, Joanna Robinson, PharmD, MS, BCSCP, and Janine Ohler, PharmD, BCPS. They will each serve a four-year term and are replacing Jonathan Brunswig, PharmD, and William Walden, RPh, both of whom served eight years on the board.
Also in Kansas, SB 63 which became law earlier this year on February 20, requires in Section 4 that "if a healthcare provider violates the provisions of Section 3 of the law, the healthcare provider has engaged in unprofessional conduct and, notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the license of such healthcare provider shall be revoked by the appropriate licensing entity or disciplinary review board with competent jurisdiction in this state".
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
The Department of Health and Environment issued two bulletins for paying pharmacists for services. The Stand-Alone Vaccine Counseling and Pharmacists bulletin authorizes pharmacists to provide and bill for vaccine counseling services for patients under the age of 21 years, retroactive to April 1, 2025. The Pharmacist as Provider, Emergency Opioid Antagonists and Medication Therapy Management adds payment for the extra counseling required when pharmacists dispense emergency opioid agonists (EOA) using the statewide protocol, commonly referred to as the naloxone protocol. This should be billed with the date of service dispensed and counseled, retroactive to January 1, 2025.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
The Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), Medicaid, is encouraging pharmacy providers to participate in a Myers and Stauffer pharmacy cost of dispensing survey. Responses are due April 23. The survey results will be used to evaluate the costs associated with dispensing medications in the Medicaid pharmacy program. To help prepare pharmacies to participate in the survey, Myers and Stauffer will be conducting an informational online seminar at 3:00 pm Central Time on April 8, presenting details about the survey process, discussing what information is being requested and answering questions regarding the survey form. Attendance at one of the online seminar sessions requires a reservation. Please call 800-374-6858 or email disp_survey@mslc.com for a reservation and further meeting details. For additional details and links to the survey, please visit the website.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
The Board of Pharmacy posted the November newsletter. It includes an update on the new Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) regulations adopted earlier this year.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
