The Affordable Care Act (ACA), as a whole, did not have a significant impact on pharmacy services per se. However, a complete repeal would likely impact certain areas of pharmacy services including the drug benefit for the exchange plans, the donut hole for Medicare Part D, states’ necessary Medicaid rebates, and certain recipients of 340B … Continue Reading
DEA recently revised an earlier announcement that would have eliminated the grace period for renewals of controlled substance registrations. After initially declaring that prescribers and other registrants would no longer be able to renew their expired registrations during a grace period, DEA announced it would instead continue allowing that practice – for now at least. … Continue Reading
During the 2016 legislative session, Florida granted authority to both advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNPs) and physician assistants (PAs) to prescribe controlled substances, subject to approval by their supervising practitioner. This change brings these professionals’ authority in line with what most other states allow. However, this was not a complete grant of prescribing authority and, … Continue Reading
As the threat of cyberattacks continues to pose daily threats to businesses large and small, more companies have turned to cyber insurance products to shore up protection against these disruptive threats. A spate of recent incidents has highlighted the importance of taking steps to prepare for and mitigate possible damages. As such, healthcare entities have … Continue Reading
The 2016 Florida Legislature enacted substantial legislation (Ch. 2016-212, Laws of Florida) to bring Florida’s Drug and Cosmetic Act (Ch. 499, Florida Statutes) in line with the federal Drug Supply Chain and Security Act (“DSCSA”). Since the DSCSA preempts state law, the changes were necessary to avoid confusion between the state and federal exemptions to … Continue Reading
Pharmacies, dispensing prescribers, and certain healthcare facilities in Florida will soon have an easier time complying with controlled-substance reporting requirements.… Continue Reading
Florida’s 2015 Legislative Session ushered in two new laws affecting pharmacies: One addressing pharmacist immunizations (HB 279) and the second clarifies that veterinarians are authorized to dispense compounded drugs and regulates “maximum allowable cost” pricing (HB 1049). In addition, the FDA has delayed enforcement of certain provisions of the federal Drug Quality and Security Act (DQSA) … Continue Reading
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently refused to bless a specialty pharmacy’s request to pay a per-prescription fee to retail pharmacies for “support services” to be provided in connection with prescriptions transferred to the specialty pharmacy (OIG Advisory Opinion 14-06). The OIG found that the per prescription … Continue Reading
When is a medical device substantially equivalent to another device? Like so much else, it depends. On July 15, 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a draft guidance that aims to clarify that question. The document is officially directed at FDA staff, but it is equally instructive to companies seeking FDA approval … Continue Reading
If you’ve seen your share of prescription drug commercials, you’ve likely marveled at the odd drug names: Moexipril. Oxcarbazepine. Zafirlukast. You might think pharmaceutical companies just prefer complex, new combinations of letters, but naming a drug requires more than a marketing brainstorm session. A recent draft guidance document from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration … Continue Reading
The Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) recently issued two draft guidance documents relating to the use of Twitter and other social media by drug and medical device companies. Emphasizing that companies must give a balanced presentation of their products, the Agency stated that companies must provide risk information along with any benefit information within a … Continue Reading
The Florida Board of Pharmacy rules allow pharmacies to engage in office-use compounding. Rule 64B16-27.700, FAC. This allows pharmacies to compound drugs for physicians to use in treating their patients in the office without writing a patient-specific prescription. It does not allow the physician to dispense the office-use drugs to their patients (i.e. give the … Continue Reading
In the waning days of the 2014 legislative session, the Florida Legislature passed the Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act of 2014. It is a very limited medical marijuana bill with very strict restrictions and conditions on use. The bill allows access to only low-THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) cannabis (so-called “Charlotte’s Web”) for persons with cancer or another condition … Continue Reading
A new declaratory statement from Florida regulators clarifies the restrictions on intracompany sales of pharmaceuticals. Previously, if one pharmacy in Florida wanted to send a bottle of prescription medicine to its sister pharmacy down the street, it had to obtain a type of wholesale drug distributor permit, as well as provide pedigree papers for the … Continue Reading
On September 24, 2013, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finalized a new rule requiring medical devices to bear special ID numbers. The numbers, called Unique Device Identifiers or UDIs, will identify the manufacturer, the specific model of a device, and other information such as batch or lot codes, serial numbers, and expiration dates. The … Continue Reading
As previously reported, HHS announced earlier this month that it would be providing clarification on the HIPAA Privacy Rule as it relates to marketing and prescription refill reminder programs. On September 19, 2013, HHS made good on that promise when the Office for Civil Rights announced guidance on when refill reminders and other communications about … Continue Reading
The HIPAA Privacy Regulations have long required covered entities to seek a patient authorization in order to use or disclose protected health information (“PHI”) for marketing purposes. However, the Office for Civil Rights made it clear in its Q and A on its website that pharmacies were allowed to provide refill reminders to patients without … Continue Reading
On August 14, 2013 the Florida Board of Pharmacy voted to approve central fill pharmacy in a hospital setting. Centralized prescription filling or “central fill” is where two pharmacies separate the duties and responsibilities of dispensing a prescription. Generally, one pharmacy will receive the prescription and send it to, or share it with, another pharmacy … Continue Reading
Physicians and Durable Medical Equipment (DME) suppliers need to be aware that, effective July 1, 2013, and to be enforced as of October 1, 2013, Medicare requires a physician/patient face-to-face encounter within 6 months prior to the physicians order for an item on an extensive DME list. This type of face-to-face encounter has been required … Continue Reading
The Supreme Court struck a blow for consumers when it ruled the Federal Trade Commission may file suit to prevent pharmaceutical companies from agreeing to pay generic drug manufacturers to keep generic drugs off the market for a specified period of time. Federal Trade Commission v. Actavis, Inc. (June 17, 2013). The Court ruled that “pay … Continue Reading
For years now, ancillary providers ranging from durable medical equipment providers (DMEs), independent diagnostic testing facilities (IDTFs), and home health agencies have been required under Medicare regulations to obtain copies of referring physicians’ medical records to prove medical necessity for the items and services the physician ordered. Providers are to utilize a template “Dear Physician” … Continue Reading
Reimbursement for the Difference Between the Brand and Generic Drug Graphic Communications Local 1B Health & Welfare Fund “A”, et al., Appellants, vs. CVS Caremark Corporation, et al., State of Minnesota Court Of Appeals, Case No. A12-1555 (May 6, 2013). A recent decision by the Minnesota Court of Appeals reversed the dismissal of a case … Continue Reading
Chocolate milk is serious business in school lunchrooms – and at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”). The FDA is calling for public comments about a requested change to milk labeling laws as a potential way to reduce childhood obesity. Currently, flavored milk, such as chocolate milk, that contains artificial sweeteners must be labeled … Continue Reading
The United States Supreme Court is set to decide whether a patent holder can pay to keep a challenger out of the market, or whether doing so violates antitrust laws. Drug manufacturers are granted patents on their products for 20 years, giving them an exclusive right to manufacture and market the patented drug. In order … Continue Reading
