The next Board of Pharmacy election will begin on November 1 and will be for two positions: the northern district position, presently held by Keith Vance, and the western district position, presently held by Chris Sain. Dr. Vance is currently serving his second consecutive five-year term and is thus term limited. Dr. Sain is currently serving his first term and is eligible to run in this upcoming election. 
 
The northern district comprises Alamance, Caswell, Forsyth, Guilford, Orange, Person, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry and Yadkin Counties. 
 
The western district comprises Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey Counties. 
 
October 1 is the deadline for a candidate to submit their notice of intent to run and a supporting petition signed by at least ten (10) pharmacists who reside in that district. Contact  Kristin Moore for petition logistics or, to learn more about serving on the Board of Pharmacy, contact Executive Director, Jay Campbell.

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

Beginning November 1, 2026, controlled substances pharmacy claims billed under Medicaid Direct (Prime Therapeutics), will be denied at the pharmacy point of sale if the prescribing providers have not updated their NCTracks provider enrollment record with active DEA numbers. Additional details can be found in the NC Medicaid Bulletin. This policy change follows identification of providers who are prescribing controlled substances but have not indicated this in their NCTracks enrollment record and have not provided their DEA numbers. Pharmacies may begin seeing increased denials related to this update. North Carolina Medicaid is continuing outreach to impacted providers to encourage them to update their enrollment records ahead of the November 1 deadline.

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

The Board of Pharmacy has issued the following information on pharmacist administered vaccines. Pharmacist authority to administer influenza vaccine is not tied to ACIP recommendations. Pharmacist authority to administer COVID vaccine is, but the October 2025 ACIP-issued and CDC-adopted recommendations concerning COVID-19 vaccinations have not been rescinded or modified. Accordingly, the Board’s statement issued in October concerning the Pharmacy Practice Act’s terms remains current. A more comprehensive detailing of pharmacists’ overall vaccination authority is available online. Pharmacists with questions about payment for these vaccinations through Medicaid or other state-payor programs should contact the Department of Health and Human Services.

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

The Board of Pharmacy commenced administrative rulemaking in three subject areas – Transfer of Prescriptions, Alternate Delivery Sites and Standardized Orders in Health Care Facilities. The Board will hold a public hearing on May 19 at 9:00 am at the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy, 6015 Farrington Road, Suite 201, Chapel Hill, NC 27517. Public comments are due on June 15.

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

Medicaid announced the NC Medicaid Pharmacy Benefits Administrator (PBA) system has successfully gone live. As you begin submitting POS claims, please note that the new PBA system strictly adheres to NCPDP requirements. Pharmacies are strongly encouraged to refer to the Payer Specification when submitting POS claims to ensure claims are billed correctly in alignment with NCPDP standards. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact the Prime Pharmacy Call Center at 844‑620‑6116.

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

The 2026 Short Legislative Session officially began on April 21. Lawmakers started introducing bills that comply with short-session rules, including measures with budget impacts, local legislation and proposals based on recommendations from interim study committees. 

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

All Medicaid providers are invited to participate in the 2026 Annual NCTracks Survey. This survey focuses on the aspects of NCTracks that involve direct customer interaction, such as the call center, provider relations, training and communications, as well as functional areas such as claims, prior approval and provider enrollment. Please note that this survey is regarding NC Medicaid Direct via NCTracks only (not related to Managed Care/health plans); please only answer questions in relation to NCTracks. Unless otherwise noted, the time period for which this survey applies is from July 1, 2025, to the present. The survey is anonymous unless you choose to identify yourself. 

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

The Board of Pharmacy has published proposed administrative rules (Page 1351) in the North Carolina Register concerning Test and Treat of Influenza. A public hearing will be held on March 17 at 9:00 am at the Board of Pharmacy, 6015 Farrington Road, Suite 201, Chapel Hill, NC 27517.  

Any person may object to the proposed rule changes by attending the public hearing on March 17 and/or by submitting a written objection by May 1 to Jay Campbell, Executive Director, North Carolina Board of Pharmacy, 6015 Farrington Road, Suite 201, Chapel Hill, NC 27517, fax (919) 246-1056 or e-mail ncboprulemaking@ncbop.org.  

For reference, here is information concerning the agreed upon protocols (found here) and (here), that the Board of Pharmacy and Medical Board have agreed upon and which was used to implement Test and Treat of Influenza under a statewide standing order issued by the State Health Director on September 30, 2025. 

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

Jay Ludlam is leaving his role as Deputy Secretary of Medicaid to move into a new role as Plan President with Molina Healthcare. Melanie Bush will serve as Interim Deputy Secretary, providing continuity and experienced leadership during the transition. Bush currently serves as the Assistant Secretary of Medicaid. 

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