The Board of Pharmacy held a pharmacy rule-making subcommittee meeting on September 16, 2024, regarding updating the board rules. The subcommittee goals are

• Protect the public
• Update/Modernize current rules
• Streamline to eliminate repetition, separate rules from statutes
• Create an easy-to-use reference for all stakeholders
• Ensure our rules align with current Federal law and allow for modern pharmacy practice

 They reviewed chapters four and five of rules, which cover registration and continuing education. The next meeting will be October 21, 2024.

For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.

On September 5, the Board of Pharmacy held its regular meeting. The agenda included licensure by endorsement and a central fill data collection pilot project.

For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.

The Maine Board of Pharmacy held its regular scheduled meeting on August 1, 2024. The agenda included proposed rulemaking on:

• Chapter 7: Licensure and Employment of Pharmacy Technicians (Amend)
• Chapter 41: Sale of Nonprescription Drugs Through Vending Machine Outlets (Amend)
• Chapter 43: Prescribing, Dispensing and Administering HIV Prevention Drugs (New)
• Chapter 44: Pharmacist Authorization to Make Certain Contraception Accessible (New)

The next meeting will be a rulemaking subcommittee meeting on August 19, 2024.

For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.

The Board of Pharmacy has given Notice of Proposed Rule-Making. The Board will be hearing public comments on August 1 at 8:30 am online or in-person. These proposed set of rules are in response to several laws enacted by the 131^st Legislature:

1. setting standards by which a pharmacy technician may qualify to be certified to administer vaccines;
2. repeals the 12-item limit for drug outlet vending machines;
3. establish standards for authorizing pharmacists to prescribe, dispense and administer HIV prevention drugs, set adequate training requirements and protocols for when there is no prescription drug order, standing order or collaborative practice agreement; and
4. implement requirements to increase access to birth control by making certain contraception accessible from a pharmacist.

For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.

The Board of Pharmacy posted the agenda for its next scheduled meeting on June 6.

For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.

Office of MaineCare Services provided this notice regarding claims filed by Pharmacy Providers during the outage period (February 21 through March 26). In collaboration with Optum Change Healthcare, Maine has updated the technical instructions to reflect recent feedback received from pharmacy providers about claims denials.

For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.

Gov. Janet Mills (D) ordered State Offices to be closed on April 4 due to anticipated weather conditions. The Pharmacy board meeting is cancelled. Unless otherwise decided, all matters on the Board’s agenda will be placed on the agenda for the next scheduled meeting on May 2. 

For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced it is expanding interim pharmacy payments to include pharmacies that are part of Maine-based health systems, in response to the continued disruption of MaineCare’s pharmacy claims due to the national cyber security issue with Change Healthcare. The amount of the interim payment for these Maine health system-based pharmacies will equal 75% of the average weekly MaineCare reimbursement to each qualifying pharmacy before the disruption. The payments already in place for independent and safety net pharmacies will continue to equal 100% of the average weekly MaineCare reimbursement amount from before the disruption, as these pharmacies are more dependent on MaineCare pharmacy revenue to continue ongoing operations.

For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.

On February 27, MaineCare announced it is now authorizing 30-day prescriptions to continue to assist pharmacies in fulfilling MaineCare member prescriptions in response to the Change Healthcare network interruption. This is a change from MaineCare’s temporary authorization of the use of a three-day override as noted in its February 23 e-message.  

The Department will pay all eligible claims submitted once the system is operational. It is working on the details for when and how such payments will be made and will release the details as soon as possible. Change Healthcare has not issued a timeline for resolution yet. The Department will communicate a timeline for resuming normal payments as soon as possible.  

Pharmacies should continue to process claims as usual. Pharmacies should check eligibility for MaineCare members during this period by calling MaineCare Provider Services at 1-866-690-5585 or checking the HealthPas online portal.  

We are continuing to waive all prior authorization (PA) mandates for pharmacy. With this change to authorize 30-day prescriptions, we expect pharmacies to return to following the MaineCare Preferred Drug List (PDL). 

Consistent with state and federal requirements, pharmacies may not bill, demand, or otherwise seek payment from MaineCare members (or a representative of the member) for any MaineCare covered service.  

The Department stands ready to assist pharmacies in assessing MaineCare eligibility and facilitating coverage during this extraordinary period and thanks pharmacies and their staff for their help in ensuring access to medications for MaineCare members. 

For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.