New Cardinal Pricing Agreement Starts August 1st

The Sav-Mor executive team, along with the Board of Directors have worked diligently with Cardinal Health to evaluate market conditions and the current Primary Agreement and we are happy to announce that an amendment has officially been signed and will take effect starting August 1, 2023!

We are all very excited about the new pricing program and believe this gives our members one of the most dynamic offerings in the market today. Representatives from Sav-Mor and Cardinal Health will be making the rounds to visit pharmacies in person to discuss the new agreement over the next two weeks. If you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out!

Insulin cost-sharing capped at $35 for Medicare Part D, Part B, and Medicare Advantage



This includes any new insulin products that become available during the plan year. The cost-sharing cap also applies to insulin delivered through a pump that is covered under the durable medical equipment benefit under both Medicare Part B and Medicare Advantage.

Invite Your Legislators to Visit Your Pharmacy and Keep Up the Pressure for Strong PBM Legislation!

Congress’ August Recess is just a few weeks away and we are asking community and LTC pharmacists to participate in a Month of Action by inviting your legislators to visit your pharmacy. We need to keep the pressure on Congress to finish the job and put meaningful PBM reform legislation on the president’s desk. A visit to a pharmacy in their district helps legislators better understand the issues and the importance of community pharmacies in their local communities. 

Michigan Senate Bill (SB) 219 has been officially signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer effective July 19th, 2023.

SB 219 authorizes pharmacists to independently prescribe and administer Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices-indicated (ACIP) vaccines to patients ages 3 and up. Additionally, it allows for pharmacists to independently administer Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments-waived (CLIA) tests for influenza and COVID-19. In the event of a positive test, the legislation allows pharmacists to dispense appropriate antiviral therapies to the patient.

The final version of the bill includes the following provisions:

• Pharmacists may independently order an immunization recommended by ACIP to individuals 3 years of age and up provided they have completed a board-approved training program.
• Requires pharmacists to provide information about the Vaccines for Children Program to individuals younger than 19 years of age.
• Requires pharmacists to report all immunizations they administer into MCIR.
• Pharmacists may independently order and administer a CLIA-waived test for COVID-19, influenza, or other respiratory illness provided they have completed a board-approved training program. This statutory authority does not preempt a pharmacist’s ability to order and administer CLIA-waived tests as otherwise authorized under federal law or pursuant to a collaborative practice agreement.
• Based on the result of a COVID-19 or influenza test, pharmacists may dispense antiviral therapy to a patient without a prescription.

DEA officials published a final rule on partial filling of controlled substances!

When a prescribing practitioner has properly specified their intent to partially fill a prescription for a schedule II-controlled substance, this rule will require the pharmacist to record the partial filling (similar to what's required under the existing regulations for other circumstances).

The dispensing pharmacist must make a notation of the quantity dispensed in one of three places: on the face of the written prescription or in the pharmacy’s electronic records; in the written record or the pharmacy’s electronic records of the emergency oral prescription; or in the record of the electronic prescription (similar to current requirements when the pharmacist is unable to supply the full quantity called for in the schedule II prescription).

Importantly, for each such partial filling, the pharmacy must maintain a record with the date of each dispensing, the name or initials of the individual who dispensed the substance, and other information for schedule III and IV prescription refills.

DEA finalizes rule on reporting theft and significant loss of controlled substances

The DEA recently published a final rule, effective July 24, 2023, which amends the regulations regarding DEA Form 106, used by registrants to formally report thefts or significant losses of controlled substances. The final rule requires that all DEA Form 106s be submitted electronically. DEA will allow registrants 45 days from discovery of the theft or significant loss to submit the form, up from the agency’s original proposal of 15 days. Notably, the final rule does not change the requirement that registrants preliminarily notify their area DEA Field Division Office of the theft or significant loss of any controlled substances in writing within one business day of discovering such loss or theft. Paper copies of DEA Form 106 will no longer be accepted once the final rule becomes effective.

Prescriber ‘X’ DEA – No Longer to be Reported to MAPS Beginning August 1, 2023



Beginning Tuesday, August 1, 2023, MAPS will no longer allow prescription records to be reported with a prescriber DEA beginning with ‘X,’ formerly used to identify prescriptions issued for OUD medications. Prescriptions reported with an ‘X’ DEA number in the Prescriber DEA (PRE02) field will produce an error, requiring record correction to the standard DEA of the issuing prescriber. We ask you please immediately begin reporting all controlled substance prescriptions with the issuing prescriber’s standard DEA to avoid errors when this configuration takes effect. 

Looking for your DSCSA GLN Number?

Your GLN numbers will be provided to you by your primary wholesaler. Cardinal Health also provides your GLN number on the top of your invoices - next to the Ship-To Information!

As the Drug Supply Chain Security Act approaches its Nov. 27, 2023, interoperability deadline, don’t forget that NCPA and other organizations developed a website that features a range of resources for dispensers. You may think you have until November to get ready, but the truth is that you need to start preparing now to stay compliant.

DSCSA Vendor: LSPedia

Sav-Mor is proud to support the partnership of LSPedia with the Sav-Mor members. We are confident that LSPedia is one of the top DSCSA providers, being in business for 10+ years and having many reputable clients.

LSPedia is currently offering a discounted rate of $70 per month/location (Sav-Mor Price is $75/month) until the end of this month 7/31/2023!

Josh Munce

DSCSA Compliance Expert | LSPedia

jdmunce@lspedia.com

Phone: (248) 419 9925 

CVS DIR Collection Period 2023

Starting July & August!



• July - August (for claims in Jan-Apr)
• November - December (for claims in May - Aug)
• March 2024 - April 2024 (for claims in Sep-Dec)

Prepare for 2024 Changes to DIR Collection & Cash Flow!



Higher up-front DIR fees coupled with lower patient copays can cause financial pain in Q1 and Q2. See our resources below to see how to ease the pain and stay ahead of the game.

What can I do to prepare?

It is advised that your pharmacy start to track how much DIR is being deducted from each (PBM) in 2023 and begin to accrue funds for this transition period to avoid potential disruptions in cash flow.

TRC-Pharmacist's Letter_MI Implicit Bias Training Requirement - UPDATE

Sav-Mor Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians can now access the course for Michigan’s implicit bias training requirement from their TRC CE Organizer.

This is a 2-hour asynchronous webinar, which meets Michigan’s revised training modalities for this topic.

The course is called “Implicit Bias: The Michigan Requirement” (Course # 97440). 

In addition to finding a link in the Organizer under Michigan, pharmacists and technicians can search by title or course number.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Charisse.Carpenter@sav-mor.com

Audit Tips - Stay Up-To-Date on Pharmacy Audits!

Audit tip of the month

Are you ordering diabetic supplies? Make sure you are purchasing from an authorized wholesaler. For diabetic testing supplies, providers must use diabetic products that have been sourced either from within the manufacturer’s authorized distribution channel or purchasaed directly from the manufacturer. Authorized distributors are set by manufacturers, not PBMs. Products obtained from sources who are not authorized can lead to takebacks from PBMs if audited. Recently, manufacturers have audited pharmacies to ensure that they have ordered from an authorized distributor(s) for the products the pharmacy has processed.

Please visit the websites for Accu-Chek, Lifescan, Trividia, and Ascenia to review the authorized distributors for these products. 

PBM/Third-Party Updates

RBC Reminders!

SOURCE Generic Rebate

From July 1^st – December 31^st, SOURCE Generic purchases (control substance/injectables are excluded) earn an extra 4% rebate

RBC Catalog Orders

The last day to submit OTC orders is August 2nd, please be sure to send back any orders by Tuesday, August 1^st to allow enough time for the order to be processed.

Link to RBC Catalog: https://cardinalhealth.ppaagency.com/rbc-catalog-2023/

Open stock orders will ship August 29 - September 29, 2023

Display orders will ship August 29- November 3, 2023

Prebook orders will all have extended invoice dating of December 15, 2023

Savings from prebooks will be issued as a rebate in January 2024

If you have any questions or need assistance with orders, please reach out to Megan Davis (megan.davis02@cardinalhealth.com) or Talia Hunt (talia.hunt@cardinalhealth.com)

RBC Solution Promotions

There are discounted RBC solutions promotions still available. Please reach out to Megan, Talia, or I with questions or assistance in signing up!

CE Courses

The deadline to claim CE Course credits is August 18^th

Please see attached for instructions on how to claim

Place Your Pharmacies 2024 Calendar Order

It's not too late to place your order for the 2024 Calendars. For under $1.00 each these are still one of the most effective ways to advertise inside of your patients home or business as they keep your pharmacy's contact information front and center for an entire year!