Washington to Require Approved

Tamper Resistant Prescription Paper

Beginning July 1, medication prescriptions in Washington must be written on tamper resistant prescription paper approved by the Washington State Board of Pharmacy, according to a recent article in newsletter, official publication of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. 

The article explained that “while the layout will remain similar to previous forms, prescription paper must include a seal of approval which indicates that it is board approved. Only board-approved forms are to be used for hard copy prescriptions given to a patient or patient designee, including prescriptions printed from an electronic medical record system.”

07/17/10

Medicaid Cuts in Arizona On Hold

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed legislation May 6 reinstating the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and continuing Medicaid coverage for about 300,000 low-income adults, part of the state's 1.3 million program enrollees.  

The cuts, adopted as part a fiscal 2011 budget bill. would have saved the state about $385 million in fiscal 2011 and helped close a $1.3 billion deficit, explained the governor‘s office. They also could have led to the loss of several billion in federal health care funds. The federal health reform law. adopted days after the cuts were approved in March, requires states to maintain their Medicaid eligibility through at least Dec. 31, 2013, or risk losing matching funds, said a state official. 

Arizona's Medicaid cuts would have reduced eligibility for adults beginning in January 2011. The reversal assumes that Congress will provide an additional six months of stimulus Medicaid funding, through June 2011. If Congress does not act, the cuts still would take effect. 

Reinstating CHIP, which was scheduled to end June 15, will cost the state $9 million. The program covered nearly 34,000 children as of May 10, according to Monica Coury, assistant director of intergovernmental relations for the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the state's Medicaid agency.

07/17/10

California State Board of Pharmacy

Ramon Castellblanch, PhD, has been appointed a public member of the California State Board of Pharmacy. That appointment will end June 1, 2012. Rosalyn Hackworth has also been appointed a public member of the same board. Her appointment will expire June 1, 2012. 

Deborah Veale, RPh, has been appointed a member of the California board. That appointment will end June 1, 2013. Tappan Zee has been appointed a public member of the same board. That appointment will end June 1, 2013.

07/17/10

Idaho State Board of Pharmacy

Richard deBlaquiere, PharmD, has been appointed a member of the Idaho State Board of Pharmacy. His appointment will end January 24, 2012.

07/17/10

Montana Board of Pharmacy

Mike Bertagnolli, RPh, has been appointed a member of the Montana Board of Pharmacy. His appointment will expire July 1, 2014. Rebecca Deschamps, RPh, has also been appointed a member of the Montana board. Her appointment will end July 1, 2014.

07/17/10