As of January 27, the Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, and Hughes Fire have burned nearly 50,000 acres in the Los Angeles County area. The Palisades Fire is at 94% containment, Eaton Fire is at 98% containment, Hughes Fire is at 95% containment. There have been minimal pharmacy closures in the impacted areas of California due to the wildfires. Healthcare Ready deactivated RxOpen on January 28 but will be monitoring the event in case any other impacts arise.
The Emergency Prescription Assistance Program (EPAP) was activated last week– and will remain active through March 15, 2025 – for those impacted by the California wildfires. Pharmacies and pharmacists play an essential role in educating patients about the availability of EPAP benefits. We encourage and support sharing the resources below with the public to enhance awareness:
NACDS is working with Healthcare Ready to provide support with outreach. Any insight, feedback or concerns regarding patient utilization of EPAP is appreciated. Please share your feedback with NACDS’ Lincy Abraham no later than February 3. If you are interested and willing to help support efforts to enhance awareness, you may also contact Healthcare Ready at 866-247-2694.
Also in California, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking pertaining to Pharmacist Services, DHCS-19-002. The written comment period closes on February 5, 2025. DHSC posted the following related to the Public Comment Period
Also in California, the Department of Health Care Services posted the following weekly notice on the Medi-Cal Rx Web Portal: Medi-Cal Rx Weekly Wrap-up for January 17-23.
Also in California, the Board of Pharmacy has proposed additional modifications to Title 16 CCR § 1711, related to the Quality Assurance Programs. Any person who wishes to comment on the proposed modifications may do so by submitting written comments beginning January 27 and ending on February 11, to the following:
Contact Person: Lori Martinez
Agency Name: California State Board of Pharmacy
Address: 2720 Gateway Oaks Drive, Ste 100, Sacramento, CA 95834
Email: PharmacyRulemaking@dca.ca.gov
Fax: (916) 574-8618
Any responses to comments directly concerning the proposed modifications to the text of the regulations will be considered and responded to in the Final Statement of Reasons.
All documents related to this regulatory action are available on the Board’s website: https://www.pharmacy.ca.gov/laws_regs/pending_regs.shtml.
Also in California, the board of pharmacy issued a reminder that licenses that are eligible for renewal will be processed online effective January 1, 2025. Those who are eligible include:
In most cases, the license expires at the end of the month of the licensee’s registered birthday for pharmacists, advanced practice pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. For designated representatives, the license expires at the first of the month.
The Board of Pharmacy will no longer mail out a paper renewal application for the above licenses. In its place, a postcard reminder will be sent approximately six weeks prior to the license expiration date and the licensee will renew by going to www.pharmacy.ca.gov. The postcard is only a reminder, if the licensee does not receive a postcard, they are still required to submit his/her payment on-time to avoid a delinquency fee and possible cancellation of the license.
For Pharmacists and Advanced Practice Pharmacists, if your license expired more than two years ago, you are not eligible to renew your license online. Contact the Board at RenewalStatus@dca.ca.gov for assistance.
Renewal payment transactions must be completed prior to 5:00 pm Pacific on the date the license expires to avoid the delinquency fee.
Online payments made after 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time are not credited on the day of the transaction. Print the payment confirmation at the end of this transaction for your records. Once the online payment is submitted, please allow two business days for processing.
Licensees are required to notify the board of any change of address within 30 days. Change of address may take between 7-10 business days to update in the system. If the correct address is not in the system at the time of renewal, the process may be delayed. Address changes can be made on-line or in writing to the board.
When renewing online, the licensee must confirm that his/her address is correct before submitting the paymentFees changed beginning January 1, 2025. The updated fee schedule with the new fees has been posted on the board’s website.
Also in California, the Board of Pharmacy posted the February 5-6, 2025 Board meeting agenda on its website. Of interest, please note the discussion and possible action related to compounded drug preparations, hazardous drugs and radiopharmaceuticals and waiver of pharmacy law provisions in response to the state of emergency related to the Palisades Fire.
Finally in California, Covered California announced a special enrollment period for residents of Los Angeles and Ventura counties until March 8, 2025. Resources are available through Los Angeles County and the State of California. Of the 1.3 million uninsured Californians who qualify for subsidies through Covered California or are eligible for Medi-Cal coverage, 356,000 reside in Southern California. Through the BenefitsCal portal, Californians can get and manage benefits online. This includes food assistance (CalFresh, formerly food stamps), cash aid (CalWORKs, General Assistance, Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants), and affordable health insurance (Medi-Cal).
