ACTION ALERT – Test and Treat on Senate Heath Policy Committee and House Health and Human Services Committee Meeting Agendas (Supported by the FPA)SB714 is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Health Policy Committee on Tuesday, February 18th starting at 10:00 am in room 412 of the Knott building. The House version (HB389) has been placed on House HHS Committee that will be meeting on Tuesday, February 18th at 3:00 pm in Room 17 of the House Office Building. If signed into law these bills would allow Florida licensed pharmacists to tests and treat patients for streptococcus and influenza if acting within a framework of a written protocol with a supervising physician. There are 19 other states that allow pharmacists to test and treat for influenza. Members are encouraged to contact members of the Senate Health Policy Committee and ask for their support of Senator Hutson’s SB714. Senate Health Policy Committee members are as follows:
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ACTION ALERT – Prescription Drug Price Transparency Bill on Committee Agenda (Supported by FPA)House bill 7045 related to price transparency of pharmacy benefit managers has been placed on the House Health and Human Services Committee meeting agenda for Tuesday, February 18th at 3:00 pm. The meeting will be in room 17 of the House office building. Members should contact members of the House Health and Human Services Committee and ask for additional changes to HB7045 to make the bill better. Some of the issues related to PBM anticompetitive practices include the following:
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| Automated Dispensing Bill on HHS Committee Agenda (Opposed by the FPA)
HB59 sponsored by Rep Willhite (Rep – Royal Palm Beach) would allow for the deploying of automated pharmacy systems. This bill is scheduled for the meeting of the House Health and Human Services Committee in Room 17 House Office Building between 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm on Tuesday, February 18th. Under the bill, an automated pharmacy system employed by a community pharmacy does not need to be located at the same location as the community pharmacy if the system:
The bill requires a community pharmacy to notify the Board of Pharmacy of the location of the system and any time the location of such system changes. The pharmacy must maintain a record of the medicinal drugs dispensed by the automated pharmacy system, including the identity of the pharmacist responsible for verifying the accuracy of the dosage and instructions for the prescription, as well as providing patient counseling. The bill provides that medicinal drugs stored in bulk, or unit of use, in an automated pharmacy system for outpatient dispensing are part of the inventory of the community pharmacy operating the system and considered to have been dispensed by that pharmacy.
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| Bill Requiring Legislative Review of Occupational Regulations on Committee Agenda (Opposed by the FPA)
SB1124 has been filed that requires the legislature to schedule for a systematic review of licensed occupational programs. If signed into law by Governor DeSantis, laws that regulate pharmacists, pharmacy interns and pharmacy technicians will be automatically repealed by July 1, 2024 unless the legislature completes a systematic review of the costs and benefits of regulating our profession. Actions that the legislature could take include allowing the profession to sunset (expire), renew the profession with modifications or provide for other appropriate actions. This bill has an impact on over 100 professions including but not limited to medicine, dentistry, dieticians, athletic trainers, harbor pilots etc. SB1124 has been placed on the Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee meeting agenda for Monday, February 17th from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm in room 301 of the Senate Office Building. The House version (HB707) has passed all its committees and has been placed on the House Calendar for final passage. What does this all mean? The bill does not state what specific action the Legislature must take to renew a program; however, it is our belief that the Legislature would need to pass a subsequent bill that states the Legislature is renewing the program. This could be both a concern and an opportunity for the profession by advocating for long needed updates to the practice act. The concern is a risk of the legislature may fail to act. If the practice act renewal bill did not pass by the scheduled sunset date in 2024, then the profession of pharmacy would expire in Florida.
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| Modification of State Group Health Plan Pharmacy Network (FPA is monitoring this legislation)
SB1836 has been filed that allows state employees to obtain prescription drugs from non-network pharmacies at a cost that is the same or less than the in-network average paid by the health plans. The bill prohibits a PBM from imposing a copayment or cost share amount that is greater than the cost of the drug or to penalize the pharmacist for providing the state employee benefit plan payment with certain educational materials. There is no House companion bill at this time and the Senate bill has 2 other stops to go.
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