NACDS submitted comments to the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee ahead of its hearing on SB 342, which includes several NACDS priorities related to reimbursement reform. As this marks the first session of a two-year legislative term, NACDS expects to continue advocating for this and related legislation throughout the summer and fall in preparation for the 2026 session.

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

NACDS attended in the SC Senate Labor, Commerce, and Industry Committee’s presentations on PBMs and the Future of Pharmacy. The session featured insights from several stakeholders, including the SC Pharmacy Association; Eunice Medina, Director of the SC Department of Health, and Human Services; the Cicero Institute; and the SC Alliance of Health Plans. 

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

The Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) regularly offers free Healthy Connections Medicaid training to enrolled Healthy Connections Medicaid providers and their billing agents. These recurring trainings are conducted by SCDHHS’ contracted vendors. Information about the upcoming February-April trainings and to register for a workshop or find additional training resources, please visit the Medicaid Provider Education website or call the Provider Service Center (PSC) at (888) 289-0709. The PSC’s hours of operation are 7:30 am-5:00 pm Monday-Thursday and 8:30 am-5:00 pm Friday.

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

The Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) will operate on an updated schedule for Healthy Connections Medicaid claims submission and payments to accommodate the December 2024 and January 2025 holidays. Due to observance of the Christmas holiday, December 19 at 5:00 pm is the deadline to submit claims for payment date December 27. Electronic remittance advice will be available December 24. Payments will be dated December 27, as usual. Due to observance of the New Year’s holiday, December 27 at 5:00 pm is the deadline to submit claims for payment date January 3. Electronic remittance advice will be available December 31. Payments will be dated January 3rd, as usual. The schedule will return to the normal payment cycle on January 3, 2025.

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

Effective for dates of service on or after January 1, 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) will require prior authorization (PA) for the physician-administered drugs to ensure use is consistent with the medication’s indication(s) and appropriate clinical guidelines. This change only applies to medications administered to Healthy Connections Medicaid members enrolled in the Medicaid fee-for-service (FFS) program.

The list of physician-administered drugs for which a PA is required when administered to a FFS Medicaid member is available in the Procedure Codes section of the Physicians Services Provider Manual on the SCDHHS website. The list in the manual will be updated with the additional physician-administered drugs requiring a PA beginning January 1, 2025. The list of additional drugs is available online.

Requests for PA and questions about this bulletin should be submitted to Prime Therapeutics at https://gatewaypa.com or by calling (800) 424-8219 between 8:00 am-5:00 pm Monday-Friday.

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

The Board of Pharmacy has approved the updated protocol for Administration of Vaccines by pharmacists. These updates reflect changes made through HB 3988 enacted during the legislative session, which includes the ability for pharmacy technicians to administer vaccines.

Also in South Carolina, the Board of Pharmacy is accepting nominations for Board Members from the Fifth and Seventh Congressional Districts. The fifth district is made up largely of Cherokee, York, Chester, Union, Fairfield, Lancaster, Kershaw, Lee and Sumter counties. The Seventh District is primarily made up of Chesterfield, Marlboro, Darlington, Florence, Marion, Dillon, Horry and Georgetown counties. For more information or to submit a nomination, email contact.pharmacy@llr.sc.gov. The Deadline to apply is November 30, 2024.

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

The Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) published a Medicaid Bulletin (MB# 24-063) related to “Ongoing Provider Revalidation”. Please recall flexibilities offered by CMS to all state Medicaid agencies during the federal COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), allowed for the temporary suspension of the Medicaid provider enrollment revalidation process. With the conclusion of the federal PHE in 2023, the SCDHHS is required to resume the provider revalidation process. The SCDHHS restarted this process in June 2024. A list of providers scheduled for revalidation will be published on the SCDHHS website as each cohort’s revalidation period begins. 

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

The Board of Pharmacy has issued guidance on the state of emergency regarding out-of-state pharmacies and emergency refills.

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

Gov. Henry McMaster (R) issued Executive Order 2024-16, declaring a State of Emergency in preparation for the potential effects of Tropical Storm Debby. Tropical Storm Debby is expected to produce rainfall totals of 10 to 20 inches, with maximum amounts of 30 inches, across portions of coastal South Carolina through Friday morning. This potentially historic rainfall may result in areas of catastrophic flooding. For power outages and shelter information, visit the S.C. Emergency Business Resources Dashboard. If your business sustains any damage during the storm, please be prepared to notify ESF-24 with as much detail as possible. ESF-24 will provide updates when assistance becomes available or business recovery centers open.

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