Welcome to this week's issue of the Capitol Pulse.
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TOP STORY
CPhA to Sponsor MAC Pricing Legislation
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The California Pharmacists Association (CPhA) today announced legislation for 2015 that will establish uniform standards for Maximum Allowable Cost (MAC)-based reimbursement to pharmacies. MAC-based reimbursement can lead to unpredictable and negative payments to pharmacies for generic drugs. This is a particularly pressing issue as many of those medications are experiencing exponential increases in cost. CPhA's sponsored legislation will achieve three things: (1) Require MAC lists to be transparent in their source and made available to pharmacies; (2) require MAC lists to be updated weekly; and (3) establish timeliness standards for appeals of MAC-based reimbursement. "Pharmacists should be focused on caring for their patients, not preoccupied with the filling prescriptions for a loss," said CPhA CEO Jon Roth. "For too long MAC-based reimbursement has taken pharmacists' time away from their patients and forced many pharmacies to cease stocking some drugs, which hurts patients in the end. CPhA's legislation will establish fair standards so that pharmacies can continue to put patients first," stated Roth.
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Board of Pharmacy Update:
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The Board of Pharmacy has announced that they will be accepting public comments on the modified text to proposed regulations for sterile compounding. CPhA has been actively working with the Sterile Compounding Taskforce and the ACP board to address concerns with the modified text. Comments on the modified text are due this Friday, February 20th. CPhA will be submitting formal comments to the Board and will be sending out a template to ACP, APO, and AHP members, with instructions on how to send comments to the Board. Notice and modified text can be found on the board's website here.
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Other Pharmacy-Related News
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Should Terminally Ill Have the Right To Choose Their Death?
Five states allow terminally ill patients the right to ask for medical help to plan their own deaths. California may become the sixth. Read more...
Suit Seeks To Allow Assisted Suicide for Terminally Ill
On Wednesday, a cancer patient and five physicians in California filed a lawsuit that aims to exempt doctors from a state ban on assisted suicide for patients with terminal illnesses. Read more...
Cops, Cities Offer New Medical Marijuana Bill
With one eye on a looming effort to legalize recreational marijuana in California, organizations representing the state's cities and police officers are pushing a Sacramento-area lawmaker's bill to regulate medical cannabis. Read more...
Covered California 'Contingency Plans' Tied to Tax Deadline
Covered California open enrollment ends this Sunday. Sort of. But advocates have long been frustrated with the timing of open enrollment. That's because of how penalties for lacking insurance are assessed - on your taxes. The tax deadline is not for another two months, April 15. Read more...
UC Medical Center Supports Precision Medicine Initiative
UC-San Francisco's new $1.5 billion hospital complex at Mission Bay opened its doors Feb. 1 with plans to use new technology and patient-centric care to pursue its mission to expand precision medicine, one of President Obama's fast-track initiatives. Read more...
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