Licensing

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Beginning July 1, Walgreens will serve as a Medicare Contract Supplier by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to provide services to Medicare beneficiaries requiring enteral nutrition (i.e., tube feeding) in 97 of 100 competitive-bidding areas nationwide, the pharmacy operator recently announced. 

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Washington-based healthcare accrediting organization URAC has given its stamp of approval to the specialty pharmacy operated by pharmacy benefit manager Prime Therapeutics, Prime said Wednesday.

URAC establishes quality standards for the healthcare industry and started its specialty pharmacy accreditation program because it is a key distribution channel for pharmacy benefit management.

AUSTIN, Texas — The American Association of Nurse Practitioners on Wednesday commended Gov. Brian Sandoval and Nevada lawmakers for passage of Assembly Bill 170, which provides Nevada patients with full and direct access to nurse practitioner services by right-sizing state regulations.

The Governor signed the measure into law during a late-night session on Monday.

The year is only halfway done, but 2013 is already proving to be a year of particular importance for generic drugs as the industry awaits two important decisions from the Supreme Court and continues to wait for federal biosimilar regulations while fending off efforts to limit the scope of their use at the state level.

NEW YORK — A new law in Missouri allows state regulatory officials to test drugs during inspections.

Gov. Jay Nixon signed into law the bill, S.B. 306, which allows the Missouri Board of Pharmacy to establish a program for testing drugs, including compounded drugs, with testing paid for by the board. The law previously allowed the board only to inspect businesses selling drugs or chemicals.

A copy of the bill is here.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal court has declined to review an earlier decision to uphold cuts to California's Medicaid program, drawing criticism from several groups.

NEW YORK — You might remember back in January 2011, when DSN profiled Terry Teller, a pharmacist from Lukachukai, Ariz., who uses his Navajo-language skills when working with patients. Now, according to published reports, he can add "Jedi Knight" to his resume.

WASHINGTON — Aftershocks from last year's nationwide outbreak of fungal meningitis linked to a Massachusetts-based compounding pharmacy continued to be felt in a House subcommittee meeting Thursday.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Health convened a hearing to examine the state of pharmacy compounding in the United States and the current regulatory environment under which it operates.