Reminder to all pharmacy and DME Permit Holders – NABP A NABP E -Profile number will be required for all 2021 renewals. Board Rule .1615 requires all pharmacy and DME permit applicants and holders to obtain and report an e-Profile number issued by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) as a condition of permit issuance or renewal. Details and instructions may be found here.

Also in North Carolina. The next Board of Pharmacy election is scheduled to begin November 1, 2020. One position on the Board will be filled, the Southeastern District, which is comprised of Beaufort, Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Duplin, Greene, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Jones, Lenoir, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Pitt, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland, and Wayne Counties. The winner of this election will begin their term on May 1, 2021. All pharmacists actively licensed by the Board and living in North Carolina at the time of the election will be eligible to vote. Beginning November 1, 2020 pharmacists will simply log in to the Board’s Licensure Gateway and select from the list of candidates. Questions about the election or Board service in general should be directed to Jay Campbell, the Board’s Executive Director.

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

Governor Cooper announced this week that North Carolina will continue to stay paused in the “Safer at Home Phase 2”. As a part of this initiative, the Governor’s executive order expired Friday, July 17, and has been extended for three weeks until Friday, August 7, 2020.

Also in North Carolina. The Board of Pharmacy published a temporary rule that amends regulations under 21 NCAC 46 to establish a list of restricted drugs during the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency. The rule also establishes that pharmacists can fill the prescription drugs on the list only if the prescription bears a written diagnosis from the prescriber consistent with the evidence for its use. This Rule does not apply to prescriptions for a Restricted Drug for a patient previously established on that Restricted Drug on or before March 10, 2020.  The rule is effective June 26 and expires on March 23, 2021.

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

SB 808, sponsored by Senator Harry Brown (R) has been signed by Governor Roy Cooper (D). The bill was effective upon signature and makes appropriations for the implementation of the Medicaid Transformation in the state of North Carolina. The bill also verifies Departmental receipts for the 2020-2021 fiscal year to implement the measure and also appropriates such money from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Division of Health benefits to be utilized for Medicaid and NC Health Choice programs to assist with projects related to Medicaid managed care.

Also in North Carolina. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) issued a Statewide Standing Order for Diagnostic COVID-19 Testing. State Health Director Dr. Betsey Tilson issued a statewide standing order for COVID-19 diagnostic testing as well as a temporary order and associated guidance that, among other things, requires all healthcare providers ordering or conducting COVID-19 diagnostic tests to report all results, positive or negative. NC DHHS also issued patient guidance for isolation and quarantine while waiting for, and after receiving, COVID-19 diagnostic testing results. Additional details and links can be found here.

Also in North Carolina. A qualifying military-trained or military-spouse pharmacist license or pharmacy technician applicant is exempt from the initial application fee. The state has posted FAQs that provide more detail.

Also in North Carolina. The Board of Pharmacy has posted a reminder to all pharmacy and DME permit holders that NABP E-Profile numbers will be required for 2021 renewal. Board Rule .1615 requires all pharmacy and DME permit applicants and holders to obtain and report an e-Profile number issued by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) as a condition of permit issuance or renewal. Details and instructions may be found here.

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

The state’s Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Medicaid Assistance has announced that Myers and Stauffer will be conducting a Cost of Dispensing Study which will be utilized to determine the dispensing fee for pharmacists for the North Carolina Medicaid program. The surveys will be mailed on July 7, 2020, and the due date is August 18, 2020.

Also in North Carolina. The General Assembly adjourned this week but will return on September 2, 2020. The adjournment resolution limits activity during the September session to COVID-19 funding issues, appointments, and veto overrides.

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