There is growing attention to pharmacy patients having their prescriptions switched (steered) to mail order or large chain store pharmacies without the knowledge or consent of the patient. This month, the federal U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled in favor of Express Scripts in a case brought by 8 Missouri independent pharmacies. They ruled that ESI using pharmacy patient data to solicit and steer these patients to Express Script mail order operations did not violate federal privacy, antitrust or unfair trade practices laws.

Through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (PPPCHE), the federal government has allocated $175 billion in payments to be distributed through the Provider Relief Fund (PRF).

As part of its ongoing efforts to provide financial relief to healthcare providers impacted by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), today the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is announcing an application deadline extension for the Phase 2 general distribution to Medicaid, Medicaid managed care, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and dental providers.

IPC continues to work with the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association and other Pennsylvania pharmacy groups to fix Pennsylvania’s Medicaid Managed Care prescription program after the Pennsylvania State Auditor General highly critical reports of Pennsylvania’s Medicaid Managed care PBM program.

IPC applauds the recent initiative by the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) to grant pharmacists authorization to administer flu vaccinations in its adult Medicaid population. IPC looks forward to working with the HCPF to ensure patients receive the life-saving influenza vaccine in this time of a declared health care emergency and into the future.

This week, Congress passed legislation extending the deadline for small businesses to apply for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. The new deadline to apply is August 8, 2020. The President is expected to sign this legislation into law.