Key legislative deadlines for legislation to advance this session: On or before February 21^st, all bills filed in the house of origin must be passed by the Policy committee. Next Friday, February 28^th is the deadline for all bills filed in the house of origin with a fiscal note to be approved by the fiscal committee.

Also in Washington, HB 1502 and its companion SB 5513, legislation expanding pharmacists’ scope of practice to improve access to health care and the management of chronic diseases, was not heard by the Policy committee because lawmakers wanted to the Sunrise Review process to proceed. A public hearing will be held on May 14, 2025.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.

The Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission’s February 6, 2025, agenda and meeting materials are available.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.

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:

• WACs 246-945-026 Accessible Prescription Information;
• Definitions, 246-945-027 Accessible Prescription Information;
• 246-945-028 Accessibility of Prescription Information for Visually Impaired or Print Disabled Individuals; and
• 246-945-029 Translation and Interpretation for Prescription Information for LEP Individuals.

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:

• CR-102 Proposed Rule Making – Prescription Drug Label Accessibility Standards
• Rule Language

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

• July 8, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm – Webinar ID: 841 8920 3004
• July 24, 11:00 AM – 12:00 pm – Webinar ID: 812 4519 2550
• July 30, 3:00 PM – 4:00 pm – Webinar ID: 862 7121 2

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.