The Board of Pharmacy met on May 7 and provided several key regulatory insights:  

• BOP CE (Continuing Education) Violations Policy has been updated on the website and will be effective July 1, 2024. The new policy clarifies disciplinary action procedures, including signing an Agreed Citation if found to be in violation of the policy. 
• BOP has granted its Executive Director the authority to issue waivers for the rule requiring out-of-state pharmacists to be licensed for 12 months before being eligible for a state license. 
• Licensing fees will increase across the board as the BOP works to resolve its budget. 
• BOP will use the NABP form for conducting GAP analysis during compounding facility inspections. The updated form will be under “Applications” on the BOP website. 
• BOP Town Hall on compounding rules will be August 21. A virtual meeting link will be created, and the public can also attend in-person at 665 Mainstream Drive in Nashville. 

The next BOP Rules Review meeting will be held on June 13 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm CT. 

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

TennCare distributed an updated Preferred Drug List (PDL) effective May 1. Subscribe to the TennCare Pharmacy Updates newsletter to receive updates directly from TennCare. 

Also in Tennessee, on May 1, Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed SB 869/HB 282 into law. This legislation, which takes effect immediately, will improve efficiencies in the health care system by providing pharmacists with independent prescriptive authority for various medication classes and disease states. The Tennessee Pharmacy Association is developing additional resources and education to assist pharmacists that want to implement this law into their practice settings. 

Finally in Tennessee, the Department of Health will host three free in-person sessions for its Injectable Drug Diversion Workshop for pharmacists at the following times and locations: June 20 in Nashville, July 12 in Jackson, and July 22 in Knoxville. Learn more and RSVP! 

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

The Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) shared a rule filing regarding PBMs. The TDCI regulations on audits of PBMs were approved and will take effect on June 26, 2024. 

Also in Tennessee, congratulations to Dean Bill Gentry of South College School of Pharmacy, who announced his upcoming retirement effective July 2, 2024.  

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

TennCare is continuing the process of reviewing all covered drug classes. Changes to the PDL (preferred drug list) may occur as new classes are reviewed, and previously reviewed classes are revisited. As a result of these changes, some medications your patients are now taking may be considered non-preferred agents in the future. Please inform your patients who are on these medications that switching to preferred products will decrease delays in receiving their medications. We encourage you to share this information with other TennCare providers. The individual changes to the PDL have been in this notice. The new PDL will be posted April 1, 2024. For details on clinical criteria, please visit OptumRx-TennCare.

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

TennCare recently released its latest Provider Notice listing changes to the TennCare Pharmacy Program and PDL (Preferred Drug List), effective March 1. Additionally, TennCare launched a newsletter containing up to date TennCare pharmacy information and details from the Pharmacy Provider Notices. Those interested may subscribe. 

Also in Tennessee, false prescriptions are being called into pharmacies under Francisco J. Soto, MD, MS, FCCP, who sees patients at University Pulmonary & Critical Care. The phone number used to call in these fraudulent prescriptions may appear to come from a UTMC (University of Tennessee Medical Center) phone number. Pharmacies are advised to contact Renae Gibson at Dr. Soto’s office at 865-524-7471 with any questions regarding his prescriptions.  

Finally in Tennessee, prior authorization requirements can be bypassed for certain medications when specific medical conditions exist. The submitted claim should include a Diagnosis Code Qualifier (Field # 492- WE) of “02,” indicating ICD-10, as well as the appropriate Diagnosis Code (Field # 424-DO). For details, please see a list of the preferred agents and the clinical criteria, and see the list of Tennessee OptumRx Provider Liaisons. 

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

The Tennessee House Government Operations Committee met and voted on proposed Board of Pharmacy rules packets as the last step in the approval process. Several presented rules were approved, including those for the provision of ivermectin and accommodations for visually impaired patients, but the Committee disapproved the proposed rule 1140-07 Sterile Compounding. Rules pertaining to complying with USP recommendations will not be enforceable by TN inspectors on March 14 as originally anticipated; however, federal agencies still require compliance. TPA is working closely with the Department of Health on this issue and will share more details as they become available.

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

Tennessee Pharmacy Association (TPA) asked pharmacy technicians to complete TPA’s pharmacy technician survey Survey topics include responsibilities, advanced technician roles, direct patient care roles, well-being, and certifications. Participation will help TPA gain insight into the roles that pharmacy technicians hold within different settings of pharmacy practice.

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

The Beacon Center of Tennessee’s newest report, “A Dose of Free Market Medicine,” compares Tennessee’s laws and regulations around pharmacists to recent reforms in other states, including Florida, Iowa, Kansas and Idaho. By enacting similar reforms, Tennessee policymakers can expand access to health care.

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

Pharmacy technicians who have taken the American Pharmacists Association immunization certificate training program may notice that certificates are set to expire three years after course completion. The Board of Pharmacy has yet to approve rules allowing pharmacy technicians to vaccinate. Under current authority through the PREP Act, technicians must complete two hours of immunization-related continuing education in the licensing period but do not need to retake an immunization training course.  

Also in Tennessee, the Department of Health (TDH) issued a news release reminding Tennesseans to “protect themselves and their loved ones against the worst symptoms of viral respiratory illnesses, from the common cold to influenza.” TDH urges the public to consult trusted health providers to find the best vaccination options.  

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