A deal was reached this week to end the partisan stalemate in the Minnesota House of Representatives. The stalemate resulted when the November election left Republicans holding a one-vote majority by virtue of an open seat in a strongly Democratic district. The Democratic candidate is expected to easily win the seat in the March 11 special election and tie the House 67-67. In the interim, Democrats boycotted session, leaving Republicans without the quorum required to conduct business. The deal gives Rep. Leader Lisa Demuth (R) the Speakership through 2026 and her party control of committees until the special election. Following the election, the parties will share power by co-chairing the committees. 

For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.

The Department of Health released the first-ever state mandated financial report on the 340B Drug Pricing Program. As a follow up, Drug Channels published an article summarizing the report’s highlights.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.

The Prescription Drug Affordability Board has posted the agenda for its November 26, 2024, meeting.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.

NACDS reminds members that the new Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) for pharmacy claims is scheduled to be implemented on November 4. For more information, see the Medical Assistance Portal.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.

DHS has published a  provider update with details about the November 4^th transition to the new claims processing system.  On October 16 they will host what they anticipate will be the last provider virtual meeting prior to implementation and have posted the call in information. Lastly, they have also released the payer specification document for claims processing and billing.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.

The Department of Human Services announced that the new pharmacy adjudication system implementation date has been delayed until November 4, 2024.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.

The Department of Health’s Rx Transparency team recently sent an email to pharmacies and other reporting entities providing further instructions for filing prescription drug pricing information that will be required later this year under law. Additionally, the email reminded pharmacies licensed in Minnesota that they are required to register an account with the Department of Health’s (MDH) Online Reporting Portal and report on the Public Interest Drug lists, stating that “pharmacies that have not yet registered should do so promptly and may use our Registration Quick-Start Guide (PDF) to get started.” For more information, visit: MN Rx Transparency Home Page, Information for Reporting Entities and Public Interest Drug Lists.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.

Several years of ongoing advocacy on priority issues resulted in a remarkably successful 2024 Legislative Session for pharmacy. At the end of session, Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed Chapter 127 into law. The law includes the following reimbursement and scope of practice advances: 1) expanded pharmacy immunization authority to align more closely with the PREP (Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness) Act by allowing pharmacists and technicians to immunize children for flu and COVID at age 3 years and all ACIP at age six years; 2) mandates that commercial insurers cover pharmacy-based services 3) increases the Medicaid FFS (Fee-for-Service) Dispensing Fee from $10.77 to $11.55 4) clarifies the definition of U&C (usual & customary) to exclude discount card programs; and 5) authorizes pharmacists to test for and administer PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and PeP (post-exposure prophylaxis) medications. NACDS has worked diligently during the last four session cycles with in-state partners and members to achieve these goals.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.

The Department of Health (MDH) recently released the Minnesota Prescription Drug Transparency: 2024 Report to the Minnesota Legislature (PDF). The report presents analysis of information reported to MDH through June 2023, provides a summary and timeline for the implementation of new work and assesses the Prescription Drug Price Transparency Act’s (the Act) progress toward statutory goals. ​Key findings from this report include:

• There is notable interest in public data on drug prices, including from health care payers in Minnesota. In 2023, MDH saw more than 6,500 visits to its web pages dedicated to prescription drug price transparency.
• Price increases of reportable drugs affect many Minnesotans. More than 75,000 people living in the state used these drugs in 2022. Collectively, the increases contributed to additional health care spending of more than $53.2 million in 2022.
• Overall, many pricing trends are in line with previous reports. However, one notable departure is that data show prices for new drug introductions increased significantly with many new drug products priced over $3 million.
• Among the most expensive drugs reported, the prices for these drugs in Minnesota were higher than prices for the same drugs internationally.
• Many drug manufacturers continue to be out of compliance with the full requirements of the Act. Approximately 33% of reports have not been submitted (99 distinct manufacturers are delinquent for 775 total reports), and all reports have data quality issues upon initial submission.

MDH will continue to release updates on implementation on the MDH Rx Price Transparency website. For questions, please email health.rx@state.mn.us.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.