MPA 2012 Winter CE and Meeting Highlights
  
Vendors' Reception at the 2012 Winter CE
Chair Corey Heffernan introduces a speaker
View the PowerPoint presentation on the latest information presented
at our General Membership Meeting. Legal Update from Tony King
Nominate deserving members for the following awards: Distinguished Young Pharmacist, Excellence in Innovation, Pharmacy Technician of the Year, Fitzgerald Pharmacist of the Year, and the Bowl of Hygeia.
Read more information on each award & complete the forms to submit your nominee.
We also urge you to nominate willing individuals to stand for election to the MPA Board of Directors by completing this Board Nomination Form. (You can nominate yourself.)Once the nominations are received, the nominees will be asked for a biographical summary to be included with the mail ballots sent to all eligible voting members.
Election results will be announced and the two new Board members will be seated at the MPA Annual Business Meeting, held in conjunction with the Northwest Pharmacy Convention, May 31st -June 3, 2012 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Award Nominations and MPA Board Nominations must be received
in the MPA office by February 23rd, 2012.
Read Montana Pharmacy Today, Winter 2011 Newsletter!
Important News Alerts on Vaccinations
Take a moment to read these important news alerts for all pharmacists, especially those who are actively involved in vaccinating patients as a part of their practice. Possible screening issues have been reported by oncology patients in Montana, resulting in them receiving zoster vaccines. Recommendations on screening of patients on steroid therapies are also addressed by the IAC in these documents.
Vaccine Notice from Skaggs School of Pharmacy
Standing Orders for Administering Zoster Vaccine To Adults
Shingles Vaccine, What you Need to Know
CARISOPRODOL MOVES TO IV CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE
Montana pharmacists need to inventory stock – effective January 11
The DEA has followed the lead of 17 states and announced a final rule to reschedule carisoprodol in Schedule IV, effective January 11, 2012. Pharmacies who are not in states that have already made carisoprodol a controlled (like Montana) will need to inventory their stocks of carisoprodol as of January 11, and prescriptions written for carisoprodol prior to January 11, 2012 will be valid after January 11 as long as they are not over 6 months old and have not been refilled 5 or more times. MPA members with questions can contact: Ronald J. Klein, RPh, Executive Director, Montana Board of Pharmacy, roklein@mt.gov or 406-841-2355.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Improving Patient and Health System Outcomes through AThornton, Cody R. (HHS/OASH/OSG) (Cody.Thornton@hhs.gov) Advanced Pharmacy Practice - A Report to the U.S. Surgeon General 2011
Read the full Press Releases
NCPCP D.0 implementation will be taking place on Saturday, December 10, 2011, at 10:00 p.m. (midnight EST) and will be completed by 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, December 11, 2011. During this period, Montana Medicaid and Mental Health Service Plan Point of Sale (POS) will be unavailable to process pharmacy claims.
Read more.
IMPORTANT UPDATE for Pharmacy Providers: NCPDP D.0 Submission requirements
Beginning October 1, 2011, pharmacy providers may begin submitting claims in NCPDP D.0 format for Montana DPHHS programs. Montana DPHHS programs include Medicaid and Mental Health Services Plan. All providers must use D.0 by December 31, 2011: January 1, 2012 NCPDP 5.1 will no longer be accepted.
Click to view the D.0 Payer Sheet with the additions/changes highlighted in yellow. If you have issues submitting claims after October 1, 2011, please contact the ACS-POS help desk at (800) 365-4944. Any questions regarding this notice can be directed to Amy Holodnick (406) 444-2738 or aholodnick@mt.gov .
Learn more!
NCPA Advocacy Center Weekly Update
Week Ending January 21, 2012
NCPA Continues to Fight Merger of ESI-Medco: NCPA continues working with Members of Congress to educate them about the potential harm an FTC approval of this merger would bring to our members and their patients. This week NCPA also had a follow up meeting with Sen. Mike Lee of Utah about the December Senate hearing, his questions, and the disastrous impact this merger could have for hundreds of thousands of Utah citizens. We expect some additional Members of Congress to send letters to the FTC over the next few weeks. We have generated new data to demonstrate to policymakers the negative impact this merger will have on patients and pharmacies, especially in states with large military bases, given that ESI administers the TRICARE program.
To read the full article, click here.
News from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacist
Major media outlets across the U.S. have featured information or comments provided by the national American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and its members. Following are some recent news updates from ASHP:
January 25, 2012
House Committee Repeals Part of Affordable Care Act
On Wednesday January 18, the House Ways and Means Committee approved H.R. 1173, the Fiscal Responsibility and Retirement Security Act of 2011, introduced by Congressman Charles Boustany (R-LA). The legislation repeals the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports program (CLASS Act), which was a long-term care insurance program and part of health care reform legislation. Read the complete update.
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