SF 2372

as introduced - 92nd Legislature (2021 - 2022) Posted on 07/30/2021 10:36am

A bill for an act
relating to health care; increasing the dispensing fee for prescription drugs in the
medical assistance program; amending Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 256B.0625,
subdivision 13e.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 256B.0625, subdivision 13e, is amended to
read:

Subd. 13e.

Payment rates.

(a) The basis for determining the amount of payment shall
be the lower of the ingredient costs of the drugs plus the professional dispensing fee; or the
usual and customary price charged to the public. The usual and customary price means the
lowest price charged by the provider to a patient who pays for the prescription by cash,
check, or charge account and includes prices the pharmacy charges to a patient enrolled in
a prescription savings club or prescription discount club administered by the pharmacy or
pharmacy chain. The amount of payment basis must be reduced to reflect all discount
amounts applied to the charge by any third-party provider/insurer agreement or contract for
submitted charges to medical assistance programs. The net submitted charge may not be
greater than the patient liability for the service. The professional dispensing fee shall be
deleted text begin $10.48 deleted text end new text begin $10.77 new text end for prescriptions filled with legend drugs meeting the definition of "covered
outpatient drugs" according to United States Code, title 42, section 1396r-8(k)(2). The
dispensing fee for intravenous solutions that must be compounded by the pharmacist shall
be deleted text begin $10.48 deleted text end new text begin $10.77 new text end per bag. The professional dispensing fee for prescriptions filled with
over-the-counter drugs meeting the definition of covered outpatient drugs shall be deleted text begin $10.48 deleted text end new text begin
$10.77 new text end for dispensed quantities equal to or greater than the number of units contained in
the manufacturer's original package. The professional dispensing fee shall be prorated based
on the percentage of the package dispensed when the pharmacy dispenses a quantity less
than the number of units contained in the manufacturer's original package. The pharmacy
dispensing fee for prescribed over-the-counter drugs not meeting the definition of covered
outpatient drugs shall be $3.65 for quantities equal to or greater than the number of units
contained in the manufacturer's original package and shall be prorated based on the
percentage of the package dispensed when the pharmacy dispenses a quantity less than the
number of units contained in the manufacturer's original package. The National Average
Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) shall be used to determine the ingredient cost of a drug.
For drugs for which a NADAC is not reported, the commissioner shall estimate the ingredient
cost at the wholesale acquisition cost minus two percent. The ingredient cost of a drug for
a provider participating in the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program shall be either the 340B
Drug Pricing Program ceiling price established by the Health Resources and Services
Administration or NADAC, whichever is lower. Wholesale acquisition cost is defined as
the manufacturer's list price for a drug or biological to wholesalers or direct purchasers in
the United States, not including prompt pay or other discounts, rebates, or reductions in
price, for the most recent month for which information is available, as reported in wholesale
price guides or other publications of drug or biological pricing data. The maximum allowable
cost of a multisource drug may be set by the commissioner and it shall be comparable to
the actual acquisition cost of the drug product and no higher than the NADAC of the generic
product. Establishment of the amount of payment for drugs shall not be subject to the
requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act.

(b) Pharmacies dispensing prescriptions to residents of long-term care facilities using
an automated drug distribution system meeting the requirements of section 151.58, or a
packaging system meeting the packaging standards set forth in Minnesota Rules, part
6800.2700, that govern the return of unused drugs to the pharmacy for reuse, may employ
retrospective billing for prescription drugs dispensed to long-term care facility residents. A
retrospectively billing pharmacy must submit a claim only for the quantity of medication
used by the enrolled recipient during the defined billing period. A retrospectively billing
pharmacy must use a billing period not less than one calendar month or 30 days.

(c) A pharmacy provider using packaging that meets the standards set forth in Minnesota
Rules, part 6800.2700, is required to credit the department for the actual acquisition cost
of all unused drugs that are eligible for reuse, unless the pharmacy is using retrospective
billing. The commissioner may permit the drug clozapine to be dispensed in a quantity that
is less than a 30-day supply.

(d) If a pharmacy dispenses a multisource drug, the ingredient cost shall be the NADAC
of the generic product or the maximum allowable cost established by the commissioner
unless prior authorization for the brand name product has been granted according to the
criteria established by the Drug Formulary Committee as required by subdivision 13f,
paragraph (a), and the prescriber has indicated "dispense as written" on the prescription in
a manner consistent with section 151.21, subdivision 2.

(e) The basis for determining the amount of payment for drugs administered in an
outpatient setting shall be the lower of the usual and customary cost submitted by the
provider, 106 percent of the average sales price as determined by the United States
Department of Health and Human Services pursuant to title XVIII, section 1847a of the
federal Social Security Act, the specialty pharmacy rate, or the maximum allowable cost
set by the commissioner. If average sales price is unavailable, the amount of payment must
be lower of the usual and customary cost submitted by the provider, the wholesale acquisition
cost, the specialty pharmacy rate, or the maximum allowable cost set by the commissioner.
The commissioner shall discount the payment rate for drugs obtained through the federal
340B Drug Pricing Program by 28.6 percent. The payment for drugs administered in an
outpatient setting shall be made to the administering facility or practitioner. A retail or
specialty pharmacy dispensing a drug for administration in an outpatient setting is not
eligible for direct reimbursement.

(f) The commissioner may establish maximum allowable cost rates for specialty pharmacy
products that are lower than the ingredient cost formulas specified in paragraph (a). The
commissioner may require individuals enrolled in the health care programs administered
by the department to obtain specialty pharmacy products from providers with whom the
commissioner has negotiated lower reimbursement rates. Specialty pharmacy products are
defined as those used by a small number of recipients or recipients with complex and chronic
diseases that require expensive and challenging drug regimens. Examples of these conditions
include, but are not limited to: multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, transplantation, hepatitis C,
growth hormone deficiency, Crohn's Disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and certain forms of
cancer. Specialty pharmaceutical products include injectable and infusion therapies,
biotechnology drugs, antihemophilic factor products, high-cost therapies, and therapies that
require complex care. The commissioner shall consult with the Formulary Committee to
develop a list of specialty pharmacy products subject to maximum allowable cost
reimbursement. In consulting with the Formulary Committee in developing this list, the
commissioner shall take into consideration the population served by specialty pharmacy
products, the current delivery system and standard of care in the state, and access to care
issues. The commissioner shall have the discretion to adjust the maximum allowable cost
to prevent access to care issues.

(g) Home infusion therapy services provided by home infusion therapy pharmacies must
be paid at rates according to subdivision 8d.

(h) The commissioner shall contract with a vendor to conduct a cost of dispensing survey
for all pharmacies that are physically located in the state of Minnesota that dispense outpatient
drugs under medical assistance. The commissioner shall ensure that the vendor has prior
experience in conducting cost of dispensing surveys. Each pharmacy enrolled with the
department to dispense outpatient prescription drugs to fee-for-service members must
respond to the cost of dispensing survey. The commissioner may sanction a pharmacy under
section 256B.064 for failure to respond. The commissioner shall require the vendor to
measure a single statewide cost of dispensing new text begin for specialty prescription drugs and a single
statewide cost of dispensing for nonspecialty prescription drugs new text end for all responding pharmacies
to measure the mean, mean weighted by total prescription volume, mean weighted by
medical assistance prescription volume, median, median weighted by total prescription
volume, and median weighted by total medical assistance prescription volume. The
commissioner shall post a copy of the final cost of dispensing survey report on the
department's website. The initial survey must be completed no later than January 1, 2021,
and repeated every three years. The commissioner shall provide a summary of the results
of each cost of dispensing survey and provide recommendations for any changes to the
dispensing fee to the chairs and ranking members of the legislative committees with
jurisdiction over medical assistance pharmacy reimbursement.

(i) The commissioner shall increase the ingredient cost reimbursement calculated in
paragraphs (a) and (f) by 1.8 percent for prescription and nonprescription drugs subject to
the wholesale drug distributor tax under section 295.52.