With tamper-proof pad deadline looming, NACDS’ Anderson goes on the offensive

ALEXANDRIA, Va. The way prescriptions are written is about to change. In line with efforts by the Bush Administration to curb drug abuse and Medicaid fraud, pharmacies and physicians have less than two weeks to begin using tamper-proof prescription pads.

In a dramatic, last-minute reprieve, Pres. Bush signed into law at the end of September a bill that delayed, for six months, a looming requirement that all Medicaid prescriptions to be written on tamper-resistant prescription paper. Ready or not, that six-month grace period is about to expire.

In an urgent letter sent over the weekend to NACDS chain members, Steve Anderson, president and chief executive officer of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, reminded pharmacy executives of the looming deadline.

“The six-month delay for which NACDS advocated is almost over,” Anderson noted in the letter, dated March 14. “The new requirement that written Medicaid prescriptions appear on tamper-resistant paper will come into effect nationwide on April 1.”

In his memo, Anderson urged members to take advantage of resources assembled by the organization to help retail pharmacies through the transition. “NACDS and allied associations have worked extensively to educate prescribers about this requirement, in an effort to maximize use of compliant prescription paper. We also have worked with the federal government and state Medicaid agencies to foster efficient implementation,” he wrote.

Urged on by NACDS and pharmacy advocates, the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs also developed a patient information sheet that Anderson wrote “may be helpful for your purposes.” That NCPDP document, along with other resources, are now available by clicking on the “issues” option within the Government Affairs section of the group’s web site, www.NACDS.org. The NACDS staff contact for the tamper-proof pad issue is Stuart Gordon, at (703) 837-4121, [email protected].

In January, NACDS joined with 89 other pharmacy and medical organizations in an outreach and letter-writing campaign to all state Medicaid directors, advising them of the pending new requirements for tamper-proof pads and seeking additional guidance on compliance with the new mandate and a six-month phase-in period allowed by CMS. The groups also sought help from state Medicaid directors in getting the word out to prescribing physicians within their states, to assure that doctors are up to date on the new rule and have the necessary prescription pads to comply with the law.

A second letter went out March 6 to the 16 Medicaid programs that had not sent out provider notices since late last year, urging them to conduct outreach to prescribing providers, pharmacies, and beneficiaries. That same week, NACDS joined with the Coalition for Community Pharmacy Action to fax letters to physicians notifying them of the upcoming implementation date and how to meet the requirements. A similar letter was sent to the hospital associations, urging them to notify their members that residents and on-staff physicians writing out-patient prescriptions will have comply with the mandate.