Outpatient Pharmacy Services
The North Carolina Medicaid Pharmacy Program offers a comprehensive prescription drug benefit, ensuring that low-income North Carolinians have access to the medicine they need. Program management through stakeholder collaboration, effective use of drug rebates and careful selection of drugs on a Preferred Drug List (PDL) are just three ways NC Medicaid provides access to the right drugs at the most advantageous cost. The result is a Pharmacy Program that the best overall value to beneficiaries, providers and the state.
Preferred Drug List
The NC Medicaid Preferred Drug List (PDL) allows NC Medicaid to obtain better prices for covered outpatient drugs through supplemental rebates. The PDL was authorized by the NC General Assembly Session Law 2009-451, Sections 10.66(a)-(d).
- Prescribers are encouraged to write prescriptions for “preferred” products.
- Prescribers may continue to write prescriptions for drugs not on the PDL.
- If a prescriber deems that the patient’s clinical status necessitates therapy with a non-preferred drug, the prescriber will be responsible for initiating a prior authorization request.
- Prior authorization requirements may be added to additional drugs in the future.
- Submit Proposed Clinical Policy Changes to the PDL
- Preferred Drug List Review Panel
Prior Approval
Tamper-resistant Prescription Pads
All written prescriptions for Medicaid fee-for-service recipients are required to have at least one of the industry recognized security features from each of the three categories of characteristics:
- One or more industry-recognized features designed to prevent unauthorized copying of a completed or blank prescription form
- One or more industry-recognized features designed to prevent the erasure or modification of information written on the prescription by the prescriber
- One or more industry-recognized features designed to prevent the use of counterfeit prescription forms
Calling Prescribers on Non-compliant Prescriptions
If a pharmacist is presented with a prescription that does not meet the tamper-resistant prescription pad requirements and elects to call the prescriber to verify the prescription by telephone, the pharmacist must document the following information on the prescription:
- Initials of pharmacy staff verifying the prescription
- Date the prescription was verified
- First and last name of the individual (representing the prescriber) who verified the prescription
Reimbursement
- Blood Glucose Testing and CGM Supplies
- NADAC Weekly Files and NADAC Week to Week Comparison files
- NADAC Methodology (Part II) and NADAC Help Desk contact information
- NC Clotting Factor Non-340-B SMAC Rates
- Pharmacy Provider Generic Dispensing Rate Report
- State Maximum Allowable Cost (SMAC) List
Forms
- Mirena Abandoned Unit Form
- Pharmacy Provider Enrollment
- Pharmacy Prior Approval
- State Maximum Allowable Cost (SMAC) Pricing Inquiry Worksheet
Opioid Analgesics and Combination Therapy
- North Carolina Multidisciplinary Collaboration on Opioid Use and Misuse
- Preferred Drug List Opioid Analgesics and Combination Therapy Daily MME (May 2018)
- Prior Approval Criteria for Opioid Analgesics
- Non-Opioid Alternatives (June 2018)
- NC Medicaid Opioid Safety - STOP Act Crosswalk (June 2018)
- FAQ on Naloxone Standing Order (August 2017)
- Provider Considerations for Tapering of Opioids
More Information
Pharmacy Newsletters
- 2021 Pharmacy Newsletters
- 2020 Pharmacy Newsletters
- 2019 Pharmacy Newsletters
- 2018 Pharmacy Newsletters
- 2017 Pharmacy Newsletters
- 2016 Pharmacy Newsletters
- 2015 Pharmacy Newsletters
- 2014 Pharmacy Newsletters
Contact
NC Medicaid Clinical Section
Phone: 888-245-0179
Fax: 919-715-1255
Email: medicaid.pdl@dhhs.nc.gov
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