News Archives
PERSONAL HEALTH RECORD (PHR) DATA TRANSFER BETWEEN HEALTH PLANS IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE - CALL FOR INPUT & INFO ON ASC X12HITSP TECHNICAL COMMITTEE CALL FOR PARTICIPATION
WG14 REVISES LTC REBATE REPORTING GUIDE FOR PART D
NACDS FOUNDATION, EHEALTH, INITIATIVE SEEK TO TRANSFORM PATIENT CARE THROUGH ELECTRONIC HEALTHCARE DATA SYSTEMS
FDA REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION AND COMMENTS
NEW NCPDP TASK GROUPS
AHIC RELEASES 2008 DRAFT USE CASES
NCPDP TESTIFIES TO NCVHS ON SCRIPT ENHANCEMENTS
HELP PREDICT THE FUTURE - PARTICIPATE IN THE WEDI NCHICA TIMELINE INITIATIVE
HHS HANDS OVER AHIC REINS
HITSP INTEROPERABILITY SPECIFICATIONS CITED IN FEDERAL REGISTER
POST ADJUDICATION STANDARD SURVEY AND RESULTS
FLORIDA WORKERS' COMPENSATION REQUIREMENT
INTRODUCTION TO THE STANDARDS LIFECYCLE AND THE HITSP HARMONIZATION
NCPDP ANNOUNCES NPIS ON HCIDEA™ DATABASE
NCPDP ANNOUNCES TECHNICAL PARTNER FOR PHARMACY DATABASE DEVELOPMENT
"THE FUTURE OF MMA AND PART D - UNDERSTANDING 2008 AND BEYOND" - ROOM BLOCK FULL
INITIAL ANALYSIS OF CMS NPPES DATA UNVEILS CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITY
NASPA NAMES CEO
WEDI READINESS SURVEY
CMS DELAYS DISSEMINATION OF NPIs
NCPDP WORKS WITH CMS FOR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
HCIDEA INTRODUCES NEW ONLINE LOOKUP TOOL
THE BALLOT DEADLINE IS TWO WEEKS AWAY. HAVE YOU VOTED?
NCPDP ISSUES RFI
MAY WORK GROUP MINUTES
NCPDP ANNUAL CONFERENCE PHOTOS AVAILABLE ONLINE
CMS ISSUES NPI DISSEMINATION NOTICE
NCPDP PARTNERS WITH INGENIX TO EXPAND ACCESS TO KEY PRESCRIBER DATA
NCPDP ANNOUNCES WORK GROUP CO-CHAIR ELECTION RESULTS
COUNCIL ANNOUNCES BOARD OF TRUSTEE ELECTION RESULTS
NCPDP PRESENTS AWARDS AT ANNUAL CONFERENCE
FEBRUARY WORK GROUP MINUTES
HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS PANEL (HITSP) UPDATE
NPI IMPLEMENATION TRACKING
UPDATE TO THE WHITE PAPER ON THE IMPACT OF THE NPI (NATIONAL PROVIDER IDENTIFIER) ON THE PHARMACY SERVICES SECTOR USING THE NCPDP STANDARDS
GET A FREE UPDATE ON NPI PREPAREDNESS FROM NCPDP
PERSONAL HEALTH RECORD (PHR) DATA TRANSFER BETWEEN HEALTH PLANS IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE - CALL FOR INPUT & INFO ON ASC X12 Article |
When: Thursday, April 24, 2008 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Eastern Time
Description: This 1-hour webinar will provide an overview of the X12 275 PHR implementation guide, developed in collaboration with Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, America's Health Insurance Plans, ASC X12, and HL7. The primary purpose of the PHR is to accumulate an individual's health care data from multiple sources into one record to help patients and their health plans manage and document their health events. An X12 275 transaction will be the outer 'envelope' that will contain an HL7 Clinical Document Architecture Release 2 (CDA R2) XML package in one or more binary data segments (BDS). It is important to note that the intent of the X12 and HL7 documents is to specify transfers of cumulative underlying/raw PHR Data rather than any PHR snapshot in time. (NOTE: This is an updated offering of the March 25th webinar)
On or before April 18, ASC X12 will be offering a Public Comment Period on 005050X274 with a follow-on Informational Forum at ASC X12's June 1-6 Meeting in New Orleans. Final publication of this implementation guide is slated for October 2008.
To Register: Visit https://x12.webex.com/x12/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=350526024. There is no fee to attend this webinar. Please note, the maximum number of attendees for this webinar is 100, so please register now to secure your place!
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HITSP TECHNICAL COMMITTEE CALL FOR PARTICIPATION Article |
The HITSP Technical Committees are being realigned to meet the harmonization needs generated by an increasing number and expanding scope of Use Cases and the need to maintain consistency across interoperability specifications and constructs. Current work is focused on Medication Management, Consumer Access to Clinical Information, Quality, and Emergency Responder EHR Use Cases as well as security and privacy constructs to address all Use Cases. In addition we will receive six new Use Cases in March 2008 from the Office of the National Coordinator focused on:
- Personalized Healthcare
- Consultations and Transfers of Care
- Immunizations and Response Management
- Public Health Case Reporting
- Remote Monitoring
- Patient - Provider Secure Messaging
- Subject matter expertise in any of the Use Cases or Domains
- Strong collaborative, technical and communication skills
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WG14 REVISES LTC REBATE REPORTING GUIDE FOR PART D Article |
WG14 Long Term Care Pharmacy Rebate Task Group has revised the "Long-Term Care (LTC) Rebate Reporting Guide for Medicare Part D" to reflect the 2008 CMS requirement for reporting drugs at the NDC level. This requirement is effective with the first quarter data for 2008. The revised guide is available at http://www.ncpdp.org/public_documents.asp#rebate.
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NACDS FOUNDATION, EHEALTH, INITIATIVE SEEK TO TRANSFORM PATIENT CARE THROUGH ELECTRONIC HEALTHCARE DATA SYSTEMS Article |
Conference to be held June 11-12 in Arlington, Virginia
The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation, in collaboration with the eHealth Initiative, will host a conference titled "HIT, EMR, PHR- Transforming Patient Care," June 11-12, 2008, at the Sheraton Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia.
The conference will consist of a series of interactive sessions with nationally recognized industry leaders and experts addressing issues such as Health IT Development; Stakeholder Attitudes; Trends, Regulations and Standards; Operational Challenges and more as related to EMR, PHR, HIT and eRx initiatives and implementation. Attendees will have an opportunity to interact with the speakers and panelists throughout the conference.
For registration information please visit: www.nacdsfoundation.org
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FDA REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION AND COMMENTS Article |
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seeking information and comments on issues related to standards for identification, validation, tracking and tracing, and authentication for prescription drug products. Particularly, we are requesting information and comments from drug manufacturers, distributors, pharmacies, other supply chain stakeholders, foreign regulators, standards organizations, and other Federal agencies and interested parties. This request is related to the FDA's implementation of the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 (FDAAA). Comments are due by May 19, 2008. See http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fedreg/a080320c.html under "Food and Drug Administration".
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NEW NCPDP TASK GROUPS Article |
Several new task groups were formed at the February Work Group Meetings. Please see the contact information for the specific task group to join.
Please see http://www.ncpdp.org/about_over.asp#task for a listing of the active NCPDP task groups.
New task groups were formed during February Work Group meetings for:
WG2 HL7 Billing Unit Question Task Group - to assist and provide content expertise to the HL7 group that is starting to model for the inclusion of billing units into the Structured Product Label (SPL).
WG11 Compound Prescriptions in ePrescribing Task Group
WG11 Query Transactions in ePrescribing Task Group - Analyzing the support of information exchange so pharmacists can request additional information about a prescription/patient without a phone call.
WG17 Pedigree/Track & Trace Education Task Group -Developing pedigree and track& trace educational and outreach materials for all sectors of the industry.
WG45 HIR 592 Task Group - Developing recommendations for the pharmacy industry regarding the reporting of missing/invalid NDC in the ANSI X12 835.
WG45 835 White Paper Task Group - Reviewing the WEDI 835 White Paper for variances to practices in the pharmacy realm and develop an NCPDP White Paper to clarify those variances.
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AHIC RELEASES 2008 DRAFT USE CASES Article |
The American Health Information Community (AHIC) released the draft 2008 use cases for work by the American National Standards Institute Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel: Immunization and Response Management, Personalized Healthcare, Public Health Case Reporting, Remote Monitoring, Consultation and Transfers of Care, and Patient Provider Secure Messaging. Public feedback ends Friday, February 15th, 2008. For more information, click here.
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NCPDP TESTIFIES TO NCVHS ON SCRIPT ENHANCEMENTS Article |
On January 29-30, 2008, NCPDP testified to the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics on recommendations for moving to a new version of the SCRIPT Standard under the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA). To view the testimony, click here.
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HELP PREDICT THE FUTURE - PARTICIPATE IN THE WEDI NCHICA TIMELINE INITIATIVE Article |
The North Carolina Healthcare Information and Communications Alliance, Inc. (NCHICA) and the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) Timeline Initiative have partnered on an industry timeline addressing timing and work necessary to implement the myriad of Health Information Technology initiatives facing the industry - - proposed healthcare standards, regulations, and other initiatives announced by federal agencies and national standards organizations. They've started the timeline with a picture of how the revised HIPAA standards - X12 version 5010 - might be implemented. To view the estimated timeline and get more information, click here.
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HHS HANDS OVER AHIC REINS Article |
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded $5 million in grants to establish a public-private partnership as a successor to the American Health Information Community (AHIC). AHIC, created and chaired by HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt, advises the department on how to advance healthcare information technology, including creation of a national health information network.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2008pres/01/pr20080122a.html
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HITSP INTEROPERABILITY SPECIFICATIONS CITED IN FEDERAL REGISTER Article |
In the January 23, 2008 Federal Register, under the Department of Health and Human Services - Secretarial Recognition of Certain Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) Interoperability Specifications as Interoperability Standards for Health Information Technology. The cited IS are for Electronic Health Record (EHR) Laboratory Results Reporting, Biosurveillance, and Consumer Empowerment. See http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fedreg/a080123c.html
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POST ADJUDICATION STANDARD SURVEY AND RESULTS Article |
The NCPDP SNIP Committee developed a survey on the NCPDP Post Adjudication Standard Version 2.0 that has been requested for the next round of HIPAA. The survey requested input from Client Groups, Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBM's), Payers, Fiscal Agents, and Insurance Programs that currently implement or plan to implement the NCPDP Post Adjudication Standard. The NCPDP survey to gather cost/benefit analysis on this standard closed on January 11, 2008. Survey results will be provided to the Department of Health and Human Services via testimony at the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics meeting in late January 2008. A copy of the NCPDP Post Adjudication Standard Version 2.0 Survey Results is available at http://ncpdp.org/news_hipaa_snip.asp.
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FLORIDA WORKERS' COMPENSATION REQUIREMENT Article |
Effective 1/1/2008 the Florida Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC) requires the dispensing pharmacist's Florida Department of Health (DOH) License number on all Workers' Compensation prescription claims submitted. This requirement applies regardless of the date of service.
The pharmacy must submit the dispensing pharmacist's Florida DOH License number. Practice management systems, processors and payers must support this submission. NCPDP Telecommunication Standard version 5.1 supports the communication of this identifier. Failure to include the information may result in a rejection of the claim.
The required data elements are included in the 'Pharmacy Provider Segment'.
| NCPDP Field ID | NCPDP Field Name | Values Supported | |
| 111-AM | Segment Identification | 02-Provider Segment | Mandatory |
| 465-EY | Provider ID Qualifier | 02 state license | Situational |
| 444-E9 | Provider ID | Situational |
It is highly recommended that Processors/PBMs issue updated Payer Sheets which reflect their new processing requirements.
For further information see the Florida DWC website at www.fldfs.com/wc.
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INTRODUCTION TO THE STANDARDS LIFECYCLE AND THE HITSP HARMONIZATION Article |
A special, complimentary webinar from HIMSS
Tuesday, December 11
11:00 am Pacific / 12:00 pm Mountain / 1:00 pm Central / 2:00 pm Eastern
This webinar provides a broad overview of President Bush's vision to have an EMR for most Americans by 2014 and the Administration's Health Information Technology (HIT) Agenda to achieve that vision. Learn about the vital work underway within the Health Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) and the Federal Health Architecture (FHA) to make health information interoperable - and how you can engage in interoperability efforts and take advantage of the work accomplished thus far. Registration link: http://www.himss.org/asp/ContentRedirector.asp?ContentId=67399&cetID=200.
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NCPDP ANNOUNCES NPIS ON HCIDEA™ DATABASE Article |
Scottsdale, AZ - NCPDP announces that the National Provider Identifier (NPI) is now available on the HCIdea™ prescriber database as of November 1, 2007. This relational database, with over 1.3 million prescribers, is now more robust that ever before. Designed specifically for the pharmacy services sector of the healthcare industry, NCPDP's HCIdea™ is the premier product for prescriber information including NPI to DEA mapping or cross walking, and multiple practice locations.
The HCIdea™ online lookup tool (www.HCIdeaLookUp.org) allows pharmacies to obtain address, phone, licensure, DEA and NPI information on prescribers using a web browser. For a demo of this product please visit www.HCIdeaLookUp.org and click on "Watch the Demo." The HCIdea v2.0 relational database contains multiple addresses, legacy identifiers, DEA numbers, State License information and NPIs. Optional prescriber sanction data is also available. NCPDP's HCIdea™ also offers optional data enhancement services available from Ingenix, Inc. which are customized by subscriber and range from simple NPI population of proprietary databases to full data compare and correction services. For more information on how HCIdea™ can help you at an affordable cost, please contact Robin Ebert at 480-477-1000, ext 118.
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NCPDP ANNOUNCES TECHNICAL PARTNER FOR PHARMACY DATABASE DEVELOPMENT Article |
NCPDP has announced the selection of ChainDrugStore.net to partner in the design and development of a re-platformed pharmacy database. The core competencies of ChainDrugStore.net in communicating with pharmacies combined with the experience in operations of NCPDP staff will result in even more current pharmacy information and a more flexible and accessible product for pharmacy database subscribers.
"Our pharmacy database product is an essential element of our organization that we've grown and developed for over two decades," explained NCPDP President, Lee Ann Stember. "This new relationship with ChainDrugStore.net will provide us with new resources that will result in new enhancements, preserving the long-term value of the database to the industry."
The development stage is set to begin in the latter part of this month with a timeline that rolls out the new product by NCPDP's Annual Conference in May 2008.
"We are excited to leverage ChainDrugStore.net's experience communicating with pharmacies and web-based technology so that pharmacies may keep their NCPDP and CMS NPI-related industry information even more current," said Cathy Graeff, Sr. Vice President Communications and Industry Relations for NCPDP.
Already considered the "gold standard" for pharmacy data in the nation, the enhanced NCPDP Pharmacy Database product will offer subscribers and pharmacies much more functionality and options. Real-time access to data, customizable subscriptions, enhanced data elements, and more robust validation and verification are just some of the exciting new offerings the new product will provide.
Todd Grover, President of ChainDrugStore.net, stated, "The NCPDP Pharmacy Database plays a vital role in the ongoing business relationships between pharmacies and their healthcare partners. We are very excited to be working with NCPDP to launch the next generation of this invaluable industry resource."
NCPDP and ChainDrugStore.net will keep industry informed about the progress of the Pharmacy Database so be expecting to hear more in the coming months. For more information on the current and future NCPDP Pharmacy Database products, contact Jeannine Deese at 480-477-1000 ext. 116 or jdeese@ncpdp.org.
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"THE FUTURE OF MMA AND PART D - UNDERSTANDING 2008 AND BEYOND" - ROOM BLOCK FULL Article |
As the healthcare industry approaches the end of the second year working with Part D of the MMA, we now have the opportunity to address concerns that are only now coming to the forefront such as, Coordination of Benefits (COB), National Provider Identifier (NPI), and the need for submission, tracking and processing improvements.
What impact will changes in the population have on MMA operations? How do we expect Part D to impact formulary, plan designs, and reimbursement issues? The application of electronic prescribing and increased Medication Therapy Management (MTM) opportunities also have an impact on the industry.
Please visit http://www.ncpdp.org/meetings_ep.asp for more information.
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Event Pricing
| Members | $495 | |
| Non Members* | $695 |
*Non-member price includes admission to the Forum and the Joint Technical Work Group Meetings held November 7-9, 2007. Non-members who pay to attend an Educational Program and then join NCPDP prior to the next scheduled quarterly Joint Technical Work Group Meeting may apply $150 of their registration fee towards their membership.
To register online, click here.
Sponsorship Opportunities
There are still sponsorship opportunities available for the Educational Forum. Put your company name in front of key decision makers in the healthcare industry. As an Educational Forum sponsor, your company will be acknowledged in all pre- and post- Educational Forum promotions. Please contact Katelyn Koch at the Council Office at (480) 477-1000 extension 113 for more information.
Are you interested in promoting your products to our attendees? Why not bring your tabletop display to our Educational Forum and put your company in front of a very influential group. With tables starting at just $200, you don't want to miss this opportunity! Contact Katelyn Koch at (480) 477-1000 extension 113 for more information.
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INITIAL ANALYSIS OF CMS NPPES DATA UNVEILS CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITY Article |
The healthcare industry has had about three weeks to review the contacts of the initial downloadable file from the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) and has found the file possesses some interesting challenges and opportunities.
WEDI members reviewing the file have reported some technical problems requiring clean up that, if not corrected by CMS, will need to be routinely done after downloading each file every month. WEDI will be reporting to CMS on such findings.
Field population of the "other identifiers", one of the more important areas for matching to legacy identifiers and mapping NPIs is more difficult than expected. This is primarily due to the free-form nature of the other identifiers and the absence of EINs. Population of UPIN numbers is lower than expected and DEA numbers are almost non-existent.
The difficulty of the task presents great opportunity to NCPDP. The difficulty of the task will result in greater results coming from those with core competency in this discipline. NCPDP's technical partner, Ingenix, Inc., has mapped databases for over a decade using proven matching algorithms that include name and address matching techniques in addition to state license, UPINs and other identifiers.
After performing an initial analysis of the NPPES file, NCPDP is pleased to report population of the HCIdea Provider LookUp tool, www.HCIdeaLookUp.org will occur prior to population of the HCIdea™ relational database product by a few weeks with both products populated as soon as possible.
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NASPA NAMES CEO Article |
The National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA) has announced Rebecca Snead as the first full-time executive vice president/CEO for the 80 year-old organization. Snead assumed the role October 1, 2007.
"The primary mission of the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations is to insure the continued viability of state pharmacy associations and the positive influence that they can have for both practitioners and the patients they serve," said Craig Burridge, NASPA president.
The National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA) promotes leadership, sharing, learning, and policy exchange among pharmacy leaders in all 50 states and Washington, DC, and provides education and advocacy to support pharmacists, patients, and communities working together to improve public health.
Read more at www.naspa.us.
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WEDI READINESS SURVEY Article |
At the request of the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS), WEDI has prepared a follow up survey to the April 2007 Readiness Survey in order to measure the health care industry's progress in achieving NPI compliance, especially as the industry has moved into a period of contingency. To ensure complete anonymity we have removed any questions that could be used to identify the respondents. Please be assured that no NPI enforcement or punitive action will result from participating in this survey.
It is extremely important that you complete all the questions so we can obtain an accurate assessment of everyone's NPI readiness. If you are a health care entity that engages in multiple categories contained in this survey (Health Plan, Health Care Provider, and clearinghouse), please answer the survey for each category applicable to your organization.
WEDI encourages you to forward this email link to any other companies you know affected by NPI so they can also complete the survey. WEDI would like to thank you in advance for your participation. Please note that THIS SURVEY WILL CLOSE FRIDAY, October 19th.
To participate in the survey, click here.
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CMS DELAYS DISSEMINATION OF NPIs Article |
Downloadable File
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is delaying the deployment of the NPI Registry and the dissemination of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)-disclosable healthcare provider data from the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES). Additional information will be forthcoming on the web page below.
Also, three new documents are available in the Downloads section of the NPI Data Dissemination page on the CMS website.
These documents relate to the file containing NPPES health care provider data (see NPPES Data Dissemination Notice, published May 30, 2007, also available in the Downloads section). It will contain the FOIA-disclosable NPPES healthcare provider data for healthcare providers who have been assigned NPIs.
These three documents will also be part of that downloadable file. CMS is making them available separately, in advance, in response to requests from the industry. They are:
Data Dissemination File - Code Values,
Data Dissemination File - Read Me
npidata 20050523-20070710FileHeader
After the Initial File, CMS will make available a file that will replace the previous month's file. This will be a full replacement file, not an update file.
For more information, click here.
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NCPDP WORKS WITH CMS FOR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS Article |
Planning for Emergency Response... with Community Pharmacies
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) partnered with community pharmacies to successfully assist victims and evacuees at hundreds of evacuee sites with virtually no drug supply shortages or other logistical difficulty, even in light of the very difficult operating environment. Applying the lessons learned from the Katrina response, CMS has established an Emergency Prescription Assistance Program (EPAP) that will utilize the existing pharmaceutical supply chain infrastructure as the distribution mechanism for future emergency responses.
The EPAP... A Pharmacy Network for Disasters of National Significance
In the coming days, CMS (through Argus Health Systems, Inc.) will be establishing a national network of pharmacies specifically for emergency response. Once established, any participating network pharmacy can respond to a federally declared event of national significance utilizing existing pharmacy systems and infrastructure to efficiently process prescriptions for drugs and limited durable medical equipment (DME) for the EPAP.
In short, this program will operate much like a third party insurance program by providing pharmacists with specific instructions on how to handle prescriptions for victims of disasters of national significance; how to bill these claims for reimbursement, and how much they can expect in reimbursement.
How will it work?
In the event of disaster of national significance, the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) will identify individuals or groups of individuals who may be eligible for the EPAP and that information will be communicated to pharmacies through Argus. Upon activation of the EPAP system, disaster victims may present at any network pharmacy to fill a prescription written for a covered medication to treat an acute condition, to replace maintenance drugs that the individual may have lost in the emergency or to obtain certain covered DME. Pharmacies will be required to check for existing coverage at the point of sale prior to billing the EPAP. If the disaster victim does not have private third party prescription drug coverage or other federal or state prescription drug coverage (e.g., Medicaid) they will be eligible for EPAP coverage.
How often will the EPAP be Activated?
While it is impossible to predict on an annual basis how often the EPAP will be activated, we want to stress that this is for disasters of national significance. While Presidential Declarations (emergency or major disasters) have averaged around 50 per year, FEMA would only activate the EPAP in a very limited number of events of national significance (e.g., major hurricanes or other disasters). If the past is any indication, this system probably won't be activated more than once or twice a year for most years.
CMS and Argus will be working with pharmacy industry groups including the NCPDP Emergency Preparedness Committee, along with leading technology companies such as RxHub, SureScripts, RelayHealth and others to incorporate their planning and unique capabilities into the EPAP procedures and processes. Please watch for further communication on this program...more details will be coming to pharmacies from Argus directly in the very near future.
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HCIDEA INTRODUCES NEW ONLINE LOOKUP TOOL Article |
On July 1, 2007 NCPDP announced the new HCIdea(TM)Prescriber Web Look Up Product for easy access for pharmacies. This data rich tool will assist Pharmacy in identifying prescribers while filling prescriptions and submitting claims. Information on DEA registration and status, state license numbers, specialties, multiple practice locations, phone and fax will save pharmacists time in validating and verifying prescribers. NPI's will be added once the data is made available from CMS and has been mapped to the existing prescriber database. Check out the demo and get a first hand view of the prescriber data at www.HCIdeaLookUp.org. For more information contact Robin Ebert at rebert@ncpdp.org
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THE BALLOT DEADLINE IS TWO WEEKS AWAY. HAVE YOU VOTED? Article |
The voting period for ballots WG010030, WG010031, WG110028, WG110029, and WG110030 ends FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2007. PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE.
These ballots are requesting enhancements to the Post Adjudication Standard Implementation Guide and the SCRIPT Standard Implementation Guide, the initial release of two new standards Financial Information Reporting Standard Implementation Guide and Prescription Transfer Standard Implementation, and the republication of the XML Companion Implementation Guide to the SCRIPT Standard Implementation Guide Version 8.1.
In order for a new ballot to be valid, it must receive votes from 60% of the Canvass Group. A person becomes a member of a Canvass Group by voting on one of the last two ballots. As a member of the Canvass Group, we ask that you review these ballots and cast your vote. If the ballot(s) have no direct impact on your business, you may wish to enter an "abstain" vote. Abstain votes are counted in the validation of a ballot.
These ballots, along with the relevant documentation, are available in the Electronic Balloting area of NCPDP's Website http://www.ncpdp.org/members/ballotstart.asp. Ballot documentation and voting instructions for non-members are available at http://www.ncpdp.org/ballot_info_non-members.asp.
Please vote and thank you.
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NCPDP ISSUES RFI Article |
The National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) issued a Request for Information (RFI) to aid NCPDP in selecting a technical partner (Contractor) to perform technological development and fulfillment services on its Pharmacy Database, the largest and most comprehensive repository of information on pharmacies in the nation. For further information and to request a copy of the RFI please contact Rebecca Taylor at rtaylor@ncpdp.org
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MAY WORK GROUP MINUTES Article |
Minutes of the May Work Group Meetings are now available on the NCPDP web site, on their respective work group pages. The work group discussion and resolution of ballot comments is available as a separate document in a zip file with the minutes for WG1, WG9 and WG11 and serves as supplement to the minutes.
To view the minutes, go to www.ncpdp.org/members/members_wg.asp.
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NCPDP ANNUAL CONFERENCE PHOTOS AVAILABLE ONLINE Article |
NCPDP would like to thank the attendees, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors who participated in the 2007 NCPDP Annual Conference. Photos from the conference can be viewed and purchased by clicking here and then click on NCPDP 2007.
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CMS ISSUES NPI DISSEMINATION NOTICE Article |
On May 30, 2007, CMS issued the NPI Dissemination Notice in the Federal Register. Information can be found by clicking here
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NCPDP PARTNERS WITH INGENIX TO EXPAND ACCESS TO KEY PRESCRIBER DATA Article |
Innovative Subscription Solution Designed to Make Timely, Accurate and Comprehensive Prescriber Information Available on Demand to Health Care Payers and Pharmacies
Click Here to read more on this article.
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NCPDP ANNOUNCES WORK GROUP CO-CHAIR ELECTION RESULTS Article |
Scottsdale, AZ - During the May Work Group Meetings in Scottsdale, Arizona, NCPDP members cast their votes on for Work Group Co-Chair positions for the coming year.
WG1 Telecommunication Co-Chairs are Annette Gabel of Medco Health Solutions, Charlie Oltman, MBA, of Target Corporation and Roger Pinsonneault, R.Ph. of Total Pharmacy Solutions.
WG2 Product Identifiers Co-Chairs are Anne Johnston, R.Ph., of Gold Standard , John Klimek, R.Ph., of SuperValu Pharmacies and Tom Ochocinski, R.Ph., of Walgreens Company.
WG3 Standard Identifiers Co-Chairs are Wayne Karp, R.Ph., of Pharmacy Industry Consultants LLC, Tania Knutson of Caremark and Aiden Tuite of AccessHealth.
WG7 Manufacturer Rebates Co-Chairs are Dan Hardin, R.Ph., of SXC Health Solutions, Jackie Krewson of Argus Health Systems and TJ Sheehan, MBA, TAP Pharmaceuticals.
WG9 Government Programs Co-Chairs are Eileen Held, MBA Caremark, Inc., Patrick Robinson, R.Ph., MBA, CalPERS - Health Benefits Branch and Darren K. Townzen, R.Ph. MBA, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
WG10 Professional Pharmacy Services Co-Chairs are Karen Eckert, R.Ph., MPM, of Wolters Kluwer Health, and Keith Fisher, R.Ph., MS, of SXC Health Solutions.
WG11 ePrescribing & Related Transactions Co-Chairs are Russell Keith of SureScripts, Teresa Strickland of Healthcare Computer Corporation and Michele Vilaret, R.Ph., of NACDS.
WG12 Education - Legislation & Regulation Co-Chairs are Linda Campbell of Smith Premier Services, Michael Simko, R.Ph., of Walgreen Company and Marge Simos of Express Scripts.
WG14 Long Term Care Co-Chairs are Gary Schoettmer, R.Ph., of RNA Health Information Systems, Shelly Spiro, R.Ph., of R. Spiro Consulting, and Dan Staniec, R.Ph., MBA of Caremark.
WG15 Sample Management and Activity Reporting Transactions for Safety Co-Chairs are Robert Browne, MD., FACP, of Eli Lilly and Daijin Kim of Pfizer.
WG45 External Standards Assessment, Harmonization and Implementation Guidance Co-Chairs are Joseph Gregar of RelayHealth and Mary Lynam of Argus Health Systems.
MC Maintenance and Control Co-Chairs are Mark Elliott of M.E. Healthcare Systems Consulting and consultant Nancy Nemes.
No elections were necessary for WG16 Property and Casualty/Workers' Compensation and WG17 RFID/Auto ID.
Thank you to all co-chairs and their companies for their support.
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COUNCIL ANNOUNCES BOARD OF TRUSTEE ELECTION RESULTS Article |
Scottsdale, AZ - The National Council for Prescription Drug Programs has announced the results from the 2007 Board of Trustees election and welcome two new, incoming Board members.
NCPDP members voted for three open slots in the Payer/Processor category.
Marge Simos, Director, Data Standards from Express Scripts, Inc. was elected to the Board. Simos has been a member of NCPDP since 1988 and previously served as a Board member from 1997-2004. She is also a current Co-Chair of WG 12 Education - Legislation and Regulation.
Also in the Payer/Processor catgory, two incumbent candidates were re-elected. Margaret Weiker, Director, BES Global Product, Standards and Sales from EDS currently serves as an NCPDP Standardization Co-Chair was re-elected. And Dan Hardin, R.Ph., MBA, Vice President, Business Development - Public Sector, from SXC Health Solutions, Inc. was the other incumbent that was re-elected. Hardin serves as Chair of the Educational Programs Committee and as a Co-Chair of WG7 Manufacturer Rebates.
There were two open slots in the Producer/Provider category.
Incumbent candidates Marla Brickley, BA, BSN, Strategic Account Manager of Actelion Pharmaceuticals US and John Klimek, R.Ph., Manager-RxView from Supervalue, Inc., were both re-elected to the Board. Brickley has twice served as NCPDP Chair in the past and Klimek is the Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee.
There was only one open slot in the Vendor/General Interest category.
Michele Vilaret, R.Ph., Director of Telecommunication Standards of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) was elected to that position. She currently serves as Co-Chair of WG9 Government Programs.
NCPDP would like to thank our outgoing Board members, Dale Chamberlain of Express Scripts, Inc. and Kevin Nicholson, R.Ph., JD, of NACDS.
Returning Trustees that were not up for re-election are: Bob Beckley, Senior Vice President, Alliances & Product Strategy from SureScripts, Thomas R. Bizzaro, R.Ph., Vice President, Sales and Marketing from First DataBank, Carol K. Cerney, R.Ph., MBA, Pharmacy Consultant for RelayHealth, Annette Gabel, Executive Director, Industry Standards Compliance from Medco Health, Wayne P. Karp, R.Ph., Consultant from Pharmacy Industry Consultants, LLC, John Lavin, MBA, MPH, Vice President, Industry Relations for Caremark, Inc., Ross D. Martin, MD, MHA, Director, Health Information Convergence for BearingPoint, Charlie Oltman, MBA, National Managed Care Administrator for Target Corporation, and Thomas J. Sheehan, III, MBA, National Pricing Manager for TAP Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
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NCPDP PRESENTS AWARDS AT ANNUAL CONFERENCE Article |
Scottsdale, AZ - Several awards were presented at the 2007 NCPDP Annual Conference.
The recipient of the Benjamin D. Ward Distinguished Member Award was Roger Pinsonneault of Total Pharmacy Solutions. The Benjamin D. Ward Distinguished Member Award was developed in 1999 and recognizes outstanding achievement, consistent dedication and exemplary leadership in regard to NCPDP and the healthcare industry.
The recipient of The Individual Member Excellence (TIME) Award was Tom Bizzaro of First DataBank. The TIME Award was first established in 1990 and honors a member for unselfish devotion toward meeting the goals and objectives of NCPDP. TIME stands for The Individual Member Excellence Award.
The recipient of the Rising Star Award was Sharon Gruttadauria of CVS Pharmacy. The Rising Star Award was first introduced at the 2004 Annual Conference. This honor recognizes the immediate impact and activity of a new NCPDP member.
NCPDP Work Groups and Committees also named their MVP recipients:
WG1 Telecommunication
Tony Edwards of HealthTrans
Eileen Held of Caremark
Lynette Klingeman of Medco Health
Michele Vilaret of NACDS
Bill Wiczek of CSC
WG2 Product Identification
Karen Eckert of Wolters Kluwer Health
Marco Gonzales of EDS
WG3 Standard Identifiers
Debra Green of Express Scripts
Sheila Miller of Gold Standard
WG4 Provider/Member Enrollment
Srini Rupireddy of Express Scripts
WG5 Payment Reconciliation
Mary Jo Lynam of Argus Health Systems
WG7 Manufacturer Rebates
Darwin Roseman of GlaxoSmithKline
Julie Speer of TAP Pharmaceuticals
Laura Tomes of Caremark
WG9 Government Programs
Lydia Potter of Medco Health
Jennifer Rider of EDS
WG10 Professional Pharmacy Services
Laura Topor of PricewaterhouseCoopers
WG11 ePrescribing and Related Transactions
Dean Rutherford of SureScripts
WG14 Long Term Care
Monique Irmen of Argus Health Systems
Tim McNeil of RxHub
Rob Mohr of Achieve Healthcare Technologies
Tom Weiss of Rescot Systems Group
WG15 Sample Management And Reporting Transactions for Safety
Daijin Kim of Pfizer, Inc.
Educational Programs Committee
John Hill of Argus Health Systems
Bob Oscar of RxEOB
Laura Topor of PricewaterhouseCoopers
Finance Committee
TJ Sheehan of TAP Pharmaceuticals
SNIP Committee
Karen Bone of VIPS
Brian Eidex of RelayHealth
Sharon Gibson of Wellpoint
Sharon Gruttadauria of CVS Pharmacy
Eileen Held of Caremark
Charlie Oltman of Target Corporation
Cookie Orescanin of Longs Drugs
Roger Pinsonneault of Total Pharmacy Solutions
Shelly Spiro of R. Spiro Consulting
Damon Tressler of Caremark
Michele Vilaret of NACDS
Margaret Weiker of EDS
Standardization Committee
Mark Elliot of ME Healthcare Systems Consulting
Strategic Planning Committee
Marge Simos of Express Scripts
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FEBRUARY WORK GROUP MINUTES Article |
Minutes of the February Work Group Meetings are now available on the NCPDP web site, on their respective work group pages. The work group discussion and resolution of ballot comments is available as a separate document (February 2007 Ballot Response) in the minutes section of the web page for WG1, WG9 and WG11 and serves as supplement to the minutes.
To view the minutes, go to www.ncpdp.org/members/members_wg.asp.
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HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS PANEL (HITSP) UPDATE Article |
Recently Secretary Leavitt officially accepted the Health Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) Interoperability Specifications. This is a major milestone on the way to recognition of the Interoperability Specifications which is expected to take place in December. The American Health Information Community (AHIC) also announced the following additional 2007 use cases at their meeting: Consumer Access to Clinical Information (Extension of existing Consumer Empowerment use case), Medications Management (New Use Case), Quality (Extension of existing Biosurveillance use case), and Emergency First Responder (New Use Case).
Membership is free to HITSP (www.hitsp.org). Please volunteer for a Technical Committee for pharmacy industry involvement. Contact Joyce Sensmeier (jsensmeier@himss.org) to join a Technical Committee. Volunteers are sought specifically on Consumer Empowerment use case - Medications Management, and also on the Emergency First Responder use case.
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NPI IMPLEMENATION TRACKING Article |
WG9 Government Programs is tracking implementation of the National Provider Number (NPI) of State Medicaid programs. This information is posted to the best of the work group's knowledge. The document may be viewed and downloaded at www.ncpdp.org/news_npi-info.asp. Please e-mail updates to Kittye Krempin at kkrempin@ncpdp.org.
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UPDATE TO THE WHITE PAPER ON THE IMPACT OF THE NPI (NATIONAL PROVIDER IDENTIFIER) ON THE PHARMACY SERVICES SECTOR USING THE NCPDP STANDARDS Article |
The NCPDP SNIP (Strategic National Implementation Process) Committee over a period of several months developed, in collaboration with The Workgroup for Electronic Interchange (WEDI) SNIP Committee and with final review and approval by the WEDI Board, The Impact of the NPI on the Pharmacy Services Sector Using the NCPDP Standards white paper. This paper focuses on the key issues that the pharmacy industry will need to address when working to implement the NPI using the NCPDP Standards. The paper also provides recommendations on the key issues to allow for a smooth transition to the NPI.
The original paper was approved and published in January 2006. Since that time the NCPDP SNIP Committee has revised and updated the paper. This updated version of the paper as approved by the WEDI Board on January 22, 2007, may be obtained at www.ncpdp.org/news_npi-info.asp. In addition to this paper, several other white papers created by the WEDI SNIP Committee regarding NPI may be found at www.wedi.org/snip/public/articles/index%7E3.shtml.
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GET A FREE UPDATE ON NPI PREPAREDNESS FROM NCPDP Article |
The National Provider Identifier (NPI) will be required on all HIPAA standard transactions on May 23, 2007. Is your organization ready for the NPI? Can you use an NPI update? Cathy Graeff, R.Ph., MBA, is NCPDP's Vice President of Communications and Industry Relations. She can provide our NCPDP member companies with custom NPI audio casts free of charge. You provide the audience and conference line and NCPDP will provide the information for you free of charge. For more information or to schedule your NPI update from NCPDP, contact Jessica Godsey at Jgodsey@ncpdp.org.
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