Ten Percent Medi-Cal Provider Cuts Update
Today, our lawsuit hearing was canceled as the state moved our case to federal court. We received word late yesterday that the attorneys for the Department of Health Care Services petitioned to move our case to federal court. This action at the eleventh hour is an extremely frustrating stall tactic on the part of the state. This is the same tactic that was used in regards to the other two lawsuits. There is a slim chance that we will still receive a hearing before July 1 and we are doing everything possible to accomplish this. Our attorneys are filing a motion today to move the case back to state court, which we believe is the appropriate venue. Click here to read the press release we distributed today. On Monday, June 23 in Los Angeles Federal Court, the other two suits are scheduled for hearing. We will send an update on Monday as information becomes available.
Steps Pharmacists Should Take Now
Early next week we will be sending out a paper to help guide you on what the laws are and what your obligation is after these cuts go into effect. If you have any question in regards to this information, please do not hesitate to call me any time.
PR Update
The number of signatures collected from our petition effort is nearing 100,000. We are receiving nearly 6,000 signatures a day and these petitions are being delivered weekly to the Legislature and the Governor. This has been an outstanding effort and is making a difference. Legislators are voicing growing concerns regarding these cuts. We are planning another press conference as July 1 draw nears to highlight the impending disaster.
State Budget Update
There are numerous ongoing meetings around the Capitol regarding California’s fiscal crisis and the state budget. The Conference Committee, which is made up of members of the Senate and Assembly, has been meeting to work out their budget version differences. A key issue that is being worked on is the difference between the Senate and Assembly versions regarding the potential fix for the ten percent provider cuts to Medi-Cal. No major progress was made this week but we will keep you posted as things move forward.
SB 1096
On Monday, representatives from AARP, the California Chronic Care Coalition, and CPhA met with Senator Ron Calderon, author of SB 1086. We all voiced our concerns and both AARP and CPhA restated our opposition to this bill. While everyone is interested in patient adherence with medications, SB 1086 is not the way to achieve that end. The author would like to do additional work on the problem next year and is willing to consider a very different approach. Read “in the news” below for details about the defeat of this bill.
Board of Pharmacy Update
On Tuesday, I met with Virginia Herold, Executive Officer of the Board of Pharmacy, to discuss various issues, projects and concerns that we have regarding the professional environment. It was a very productive conversation and we found a number of areas of agreement and places where CPhA can be collaborative with the Board.
Dinner with Senator Steinberg
On Tuesday night, a number of clients of the Nielsen-Merksamer firm met for a fundraising dinner for Senator Darrell Steinberg. It was an outstanding event that provided us with an opportunity to get to know him better and understand his outlook and his interests going forward.
CSHP/CPhA Joint Letter Regarding AMA Resolution 303
Last week, CSHP contacted CPhA to discuss a joint letter of protest to the American Medical Association (AMA) regarding Resolution 303. The original resolution would have called for the end of the use of the words “doctor, resident or intern” in regard to professions other than medical physicians. A letter signed by Paul Lofholm and myself, as well as Dawn Benton and CSHP President Bill Yee was sent voicing our opposition to the original language of the resolution. Philip Swanger, Director of Government Affairs for CSHP, informed me that AMA Resolution 303 has been amended significantly and has also been renumbered: AMA Resolution 232. The change in the policy is a significant victory for the collaborative efforts of pharmacy and other healthcare professional. Click here to see the entire transcript. The specific language appears on page 23. We are pleased that our collaborative effort made a difference!
Alliance for Pharmaceutical Care Needs Volunteers!
Alliance for Pharmaceutical Care needs volunteers to help with the National Conference of State Legislators Annual Meeting July 22-26, 2008 in New Orleans, Louisiana. A consortium of nine national pharmacy organizations, including NASPA representing your state pharmacy association, are demonstrating how today's pharmacists go beyond the traditional dispensing role...providing quality patient-care services that improve health and reduce health care costs. For more information please visit www.pharmacist.com/allianceforpc.
California Medical Volunteers Wants You!
The CPhA Emergency Preparedness Committee is taking proactive steps to get pharmacists throughout California to register as medical volunteers to help in the event of an emergency. With recent events such as the flooding in the mid-West, and the fires in Southern California, there is a need for medical volunteers to assist the public when they are put out of their homes and/or lose access to vital health care services. Please take a few minutes to log onto the California Medical Volunteer website and get registered today. By registering before an emergency occurs, the county you live in will be notified that you are available and you will be able to indicate preferences as to location and length of time you are able to serve. Volunteering is safe, easy, and confidential. To get started, please visit www.medicalvolunteer.ca.gov and follow the instructions.
To learn more about regarding mass dispensing efforts and the Strategic National Stockpile, you may be interested in the following CE program.
CDC COCA Conference Call - Strategic National Stockpile Overview - July 1, 2008.
Please remember that if you cannot participate in the live Clinic OUtreach & Community Activity (COCA) Conference Call, you can still get CE credit! Simply download the PowerPoint and follow along with the audio files, both of which will both be posted on the COCA website afer the call and then complete the on-line evaluation within a year at http://www.2ca.cdc.gov/TCEOnline/.
COCA Conference Call:
TITLE: Strategic National Stockpile Overview
SPEAKER: Todd Piester
DATE: Tuesday, July 1, 2008
TIME: 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
The PowerPoint Presentation will be available on the COCA website by June 30. For more information, contact Cathi Lord, CPhA Director of Communications by email at clord@cpha.com.
Summer’s here! NOW Is the Time to Plan Your Flu Clinic
Flu season will be here before you know it. If you are interested in providing flu shots at your pharmacy (or any other kind of vaccine for that matter), you are encouraged to visit the Pharmacy Foundation’s online Immunization Toolkit at www.PharmacyFoundation.org/Toolkit. This is an online resource designed to help pharmacists overcome barriers related to the establishment of collaborative practice agreements for the administration of adult and adolescent vaccines in community settings. It’s not too soon to start planning, so visit our site today!
APhA’s June Book of the Month – 20 Percent Off
Essentials of Cultural Competence in Pharmacy Practice is APhA’s June Book of the Month. This book offers the opportunity for pharmacists and student pharmacists to explore their own cultural background, inherent health care needs across cultures, and to effectively hone communication and competency skills needed to work effectively with patients and other health care providers from diverse cultures. If you order before June 30, you can purchase the book for $29, that’s a 20 percent savings! Click here for more details.
In the News
Senator Calderon’s bill SB 1096, which would allow pharmacists to share prescription information with marketing firms, was defeated in the Assembly Health Committee. You can read more about this in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Question of the Week
Hello Lynn,
You may already know this information, but just in case you don’t, APhA is once again offering their Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery Certificate Training Program across the country and two programs have been scheduled in California for 2008: July 19th in Ontario and September 4th in Sacramento. Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery is an innovative and interactive training program that teaches pharmacists the skills necessary to become a primary source for vaccine information and administration. The 12-hour home study and 8-hour live program includes the basics of immunology and focuses on practice implementation and legal/regulatory issues. Registration is only $49 due to generous support from Merck & Co. The programs are offered to a limited number of participants at each location, so register now to reserve your seat. For more information, visit the APhA website or contact them directly at (202) 429-7512.
These are a great deal for anyone looking to get certified…only $49 for the entire course! Can you please share the information with members this week?
Thanks,
Shannon D. Presidio
Manager, Education & Accreditation
Pharmacy Foundation of California
Answer
Dear Shannon,
Thanks for providing such great information. The APhA course is the “gold standard” for immunization training and we urge everyone who has not taken the course to consider this session or one of the upcoming sessions in the near future.
Sincerely,
Lynn Rolston
Chief Executive Officer