WVPA Supports MTM Legislation
Senate Bill 114 has been introduced in the WV Senate by Senator Jack Yost, (D-Brooke) creating the Medication Therapy Management Act and calling for third-parties to pay for the therapy. The bill has been referred to the Senate Health Committee with a second reference to Finance Committee. more>>>
Letter to WV Legislature Joint Committee on Government Organization from Richard Stevens Regarding Antiquated Generic Substitution Provision
Current pharmacy law as it relates to a certain provision for generic substitution is antiquated. It has out-lived its usefulness and is counter-productive to saving consumers money on their prescription drugs.
Briefly, current law states when generic substitution is permitted, the savings passed on to the “purchaser” has to be at least the difference in the acquisition cost of the brand prescribed and the generic product dispensed.
The complexities and ambiguities of current law make enforcement by the Board of Pharmacy and compliance by pharmacists difficult if not impossible. For example, the Board regulates mail order pharmacies but does not investigate whether or not out-of-state mail order houses are passing legally required savings on to consumers. Read more.
Preparing for Medicare Part D in 2012
A report by Richard Stevens, WVPA Executive Director
I am pleased to report of a webinar hosted by NCPA which I attended on December 8. WVPA members will find this Medicare Part D information beneficial. See attached.
Proposed Rule: Continuing Education
Since the last modification to 15-3 was in 2002, this rule updates definitions and references to match modern terminology. It also brings 15-3 into compliance with standards used by the national accreditation organization. See attached.
Proposed Rule: Controlled Substance Monitoring
This rule is a revision of Controlled Substance Monitoring Program maintained by the WV Board of Pharmacy resulting from passage of House Bill 2639. See attached.
Immunization Update
House Bill 3056 passed by the WV Legislature in 2008 and supported by the WV Pharmacists Association permits pharmacists who have completed a course of study approved by the Board of Pharmacy to administer immunizations to persons over 18 years of age.
The law directed the Board of Pharmacy to promulgate rules, with the advice of the Board of Medicine and Board of Osteopathy, authorizing pharmacists to administer influenza and pneumonia vaccines to adults. The law also required joint rule-making by the three Boards for any further expansion of the types of immunizations a pharmacist may administer.
The three Boards engaged in joint rule-making in 2011 to effect the expansion of immunizations by pharmacists to include in addition to influenza and pneumonia the following vaccines: Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Herpes Zoster and Tetanus.
The attached proposed rule will expand the vaccines permitted to be administered by pharmacists.