The Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission (PQAC) will meet on December 12. The agenda and meeting materials have been posted.
Also in Washington, the Health Care Cost Transparency Board (Cost Board) is holding its first Public Hearing on December 12. The full meeting packet is available on the meetings and materials page.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
Democrats won all nine executive offices and gained additional seats within the state Legislature. Bob Ferguson (D) will serve as the next governor of Washington state, replacing termed-out Gov. Jay Inslee (D). A friend of pharmacy State Senator Patty Kuderer (D) was elected to become the next state Insurance Commissioner.
Also in Washington, the Department of Health (DOH) Office of Immunizations is hosting a webinar on November 21, 2024, featuring Dr. Eva Meekins, a nurse educator with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to discuss the current vaccine recommendations and strategies to prevent common vaccine administration errors.
Finally in Washington, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, state offices will be closed on November 28 and 29, 2024. Provider payments for the week of November 25, 2024, will be made on November 27, 2024. Claim submission deadlines have been moved up to ensure that providers can receive payment and Remittance Advice (RA) documents on November 27, 2024. The deadline for submission of claims to ProviderOne for payment during the week of Thanksgiving will be November 24, 2024, by 5:00 pm. The deadline for submission of pharmacy claims to the Point of Sale (POS) during the week of Thanksgiving will be November 23, 2024, by 5:00 pm.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
The State Department of Health Office of Immunizations is hosting a 2024-2025 Respiratory Virus Season: Vaccine Recommendations, Ordering and Distribution webinar on September 17. Presenters will discuss influenza, COVID-19, and RSV epidemiology, vaccine recommendations and vaccine ordering and distribution.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
The Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission (PQAC) posted its quarterly newsletter.
Also in Washington, PQAC updated and approved the Nonresident Pharmacy: List of Approved Inspection Programs Directive at the August meeting. The updated version is effective October 1, 2024, for all nonresident pharmacies.
Finally in Washington, the Department of Health (DOH) filed a CR-102 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking amending a section of rule, WAC 246-945-015 Minimum Requirements for Dispensing Practitioners, creating four new sections of rule:
The proposed rule requires that all dispensing practitioners and dispensing facilities in the state provide prescription information to the patient on the container in a format that can be accurately comprehended by the patient. A public hearing for this proposed rulemaking will be held on October 4, 2024. The CR-102 form and the rule language may be viewed at the following links:
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
Gov. Jay Inslee (D) announced two new appointments to his executive team. Pat Sullivan will be director of the Washington State Office of Financial Management, and Sheri Sawyer will be his new executive director of legislative affairs.
Also in Washington, the Heath Care Authority (HCA) began enrolling eligible individuals into Apple Health Expansion in mid-June with coverage beginning July 2024. Apple Health Expansion is a new program designed to provide full-scope health care coverage to people aged 19 years or older with certain immigration statuses.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
The Department of Health posted its July monthly bulletin “epiTRENDS”.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
The Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission (commission) is soliciting public comments on its draft rule language for Mobile Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) Units. The rules workshop will be held at the August 22 Business Meeting. The draft rule language proposes to amend WAC 246-945-060 and WAC 246-945-250 to modify registration and facility requirements pertaining to mobile OTP units and the other controlled substance registration. The Proposed Mobile Opioid Treatment Program Unit Rule Language may change in response to future feedback from the commission and the public. Written comments may be submitted to Haleigh Mauldin, Program Consultant, at PharmacyRules@doh.wa.gov until midnight on August 8. Oral comments may be provided at the August rules workshop.
Also in Washington, Apple Health’s new pharmacy point-of-sale system is a few weeks post go-live and the Health Care Authority’s pharmacy team has scheduled several listening sessions to meet with pharmacy billers to gather feedback regarding experiences with claims and prior authorizations
Finally in Washington, the third quarter Washington preferred drug list (PDL) has been posted to the website. The state’s PDL shows which drugs are preferred and which are non-preferred for Uniform Medical Plan and the Department of Labor and Industries.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
The Pharmacy Quality Assurance Committee (PQAC) held a one-day meeting on June 27.
Also in Washington, starting in July, Apple Health coverage is expanding to adults age 19 years and older with certain immigration status.
Finally in Washington, the Health Care Authority (HCA) published quarterly updates to many of the Apple Health billing guides that go into effect on July 1, 2024. Billing guides are located on HCA’s Provider billing guides and fee schedules webpage.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
The Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission (PQAC) is meeting on June 27. Written comments must be submitted by 5:00 pm on June 21 to WSPQAC@doh.wa.gov.
Also in Washington, the Health Care Authority’s (HCA) Health Care Cost Transparency Board began collecting data from the largest health insurance carriers in the state in 2022. The first annual report, Health care spending growth in Washington, 2017–2019, and one-page summary of key findings are now available.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.