The Health and Human Services Commission’s Vendor Drug Program (VDP) announced that effective Tuesday, May 15, the status of the antipsychotic clinical prior authorization will be optional. For more information, go to the VDP website’s Pharmacy Clinical Prior Authorization Assistance Chart.

Also in Texas…Effective Monday, April 30, the Vendor Drug Program (VDP) will no longer allow pharmacies to submit a code to override the prescriber enrollment denial in emergencies when the prescribing provider is not enrolled. Beginning Friday, April 30 and continuing until Friday, July 27, pharmacies should contact the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Pharmacy Benefits Access Help Desk at 1-800-435-4165 to obtain a manual override of the prescriber enrollment denial. The Help Desk will only override a denial one time per person per prescriber.

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