The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services presented information to the legislature’s Interim Joint Committee on Health Services about the impact of the commonwealth’s use of a single PBM since July 1, 2021 and a single Preferred Drug List (PDL) since Jan. 1, 2021. A key finding was how Kentucky would have spent $282.7 million more in its managed Medicaid program if it had not implemented SB 50, the legislation enacting the single PBM and single PDL. Further analysis of SB 50’s impact can be found in the Milliman report. Stay tuned to qAM for more on this story as it develops.

At a special called meeting on January 4, 2023, the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy was set to address public comment on new regulation, 201 KAR 2:460, and proposed amendments to 201 KAR 2:030. This regulation would have created stricter requirements for an out-of-state pharmacy to obtain a non-resident pharmacy permit. Prior to discussion, the Board withdrew both proposals, stating that the withdrawal was due to the voluminous amount of comments received from the public and stakeholders.

The Kentucky Association of Health Plans (KAHP) awarded the Kentucky Pharmacists Education and Research Foundation (KPERF) a $50,000 grant to expand access to colon cancer screenings throughout the state. Now, local pharmacists are able to assist patients with non-invasive screenings. Pharmacies will send a colon cancer test to a patient’s home, where the patient will collect a fecal sample and mail it. The pharmacy will receive the results and inform the patient. Pharmacist-led colon screenings are a less invasive alternative to colonoscopies, which are appropriate for patients with average risk.

During its August 31 meeting, the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy voted to move forward with proposed amendments to 201 KAR 2:030. The proposed amendments would create a new non-resident pharmacist license for pharmacists located outside of Kentucky. This new individual licensure category would provide better jurisdiction over non-resident pharmacists providing pharmacy services on prescriptions intended for Kentucky residents. The non-resident pharmacist license would not permit holders of the license to physically practice pharmacy within the Kentucky border, nor would it allow them to serve as a pharmacist-in-charge for Kentucky residents.

In the past, pharmacists could practice in any state — no matter where they got their license. But many states have aimed to change that rule, and Kentucky may be next. The Kentucky Board of Pharmacy is currently considering new rules for pharmacists from out of state who want to practice in Kentucky. Among the proposed rules is a requirement for all out-of-state pharmacists who “engage in the practice of the profession of pharmacy for a Kentucky resident” to hold an active Kentucky pharmacist license. The rule aims to ensure that all pharmacists practicing in the state meet the same requirements and complete the same training. The Regulation Committee of the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy is currently researching and reviewing the rule.

HB 219 was passed and signed by Governor Andy Beshear during the 2021 LegislativeSession, regulating the sale and disposal of hypodermic syringes. Under HB 219, pharmacies will no longer be required to obtain or record identification of a person purchasing hypodermic syringes. Instead, they will be able to sell hypodermic syringes to all patients, given that they meet certain state protocols. The law goes into effect onJune 29, 2021.

HB 48 has been signed into law, expanding reimbursement for pharmacist-conducted services. It requires insurers to reimburse a pharmacist for a service or procedure at a rate no less than that provided to other nonphysician practitioners. It levels the playing field and ensures that pharmacists are getting fair reimbursement for their valuable and accessible clinical services in Kentucky.