On September 30th, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released guidance regarding the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 Privacy Rule and its application to the workplace, specifically discussing the disclosure and request of COVID-19 vaccination status.
The ninth amendment to the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act was published in the Federal Register on September 14th, 2021, which granted pharmacists the authority to order and administer COVID-19 therapeutics and qualified pharmacy technicians and pharmacy interns to administer COVID-19 therapeutics under the supervision of a pharmacist.
According to a September 17, 2021 press release from the Department of Justice (DOJ), a podiatrist was indicted for defrauding Medicare and Medicaid “by prescribing and dispensing medically unnecessary foot bath medications.”
Students performing a job shadow or internship in the pharmacy need proper FWA/HIPAA training and preparation to be behind the pharmacy counter or you are inviting headaches into your operations (and potential legal complications).
Transferred prescriptions are at high risk for audit recoupments. Every element required by state regulations is one additional pitfall that PBMs utilize to try and recoup on claims.
Medications that are required to be dispensed in their original container continue to appear in audits.
