Wyoming Pharmacy Association

WPhA Statement: Change Healthcare Cyberattack

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 16:30:00 GMT

Attention Wyoming Pharmacy Association members: Last week’s cyberattack on Change Healthcare caused disruptions in electronic prescribing and processing insurance claims for pharmacies across Wyoming and the country. As a critical player in the healthcare technology sector, Change Healthcare processes a significant number of healthcare transactions, including patient payments, and is connected to a large portion of U.S. patient records.

We understand the impact of this attack on your patients, especially those covered by Wyoming Medicaid, and your business operations. The Association would like to share some information and potentially helpful tips with our members.

As of February 26th, at noon, Wyoming Medicaid had no substantial updates from Change Healthcare. To help with the claims backlog, the department has enlisted another processor, RelayHealth. Because there is such a backlog of claims, this processor has become bogged down, and it is recommended to continue to try and process claims as you may well get a paid claim. Wyoming Medicaid has been posting updates that can be found here: https://health.wyo.gov/healthcarefin/medicaid/pharmacy-services/

We know that some patients’ care may have been interrupted by this outage, and we wanted to provide resources to our members, as our primary concern is our patients’ health and well-being.

The Wyoming Medicaid Preferred Drug List (PDL) can be found here .

This is an excellent resource for determining if Medicaid covers a patient’s medication. We have heard from some members that they are checking patient history and the PDL to determine if the medication will be covered; if it appears that it will be covered, the pharmacy is billing the claim as cash, charging the patient the appropriate copay (generic $0.65 or brand $3.65) and holding a record of claims that need to be reprocessed once the billing system is up and functioning again. Medicaid claims in Wyoming can be billed up to one year after the initial claim. The Association would always encourage its members to use their clinical judgment in determining the appropriateness of therapy. While this is not ideal for cash flow to the pharmacy, the Department of Health and Medicaid hopes that this issue will be resolved in a timely manner.

The State is also encouraging pharmacies to dispense up to two emergency fills (six total days) to patients who otherwise would be without therapy. This would be up to the pharmacists’ discretion; however, it may be a lifeline to some patients in the greatest need of new therapy medications.

Patient copay cards or manufacturer coupons have largely been affected as well. At this time, it would be best to address these situations individually, explaining the issue transparently and allowing the patient to make a financial decision that is in their best interest.

As always, we aim to showcase that pharmacists and pharmacies are indispensable in providing patient care to our communities. We can help provide a solution to patients in need and fulfill our oath of devoting ourselves to a lifetime of service to others through the profession of pharmacy.

WPhA Continues to Support Pharmacists & Pharmacy Staff

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 12:14:00 GMT

Cheyenne, WY (November 6, 2023) –As you have seen in the media, issues facing pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have become national news. While we haven’t seen the large walkouts in Wyoming, there is no doubt that many of you face similar issues of understaffing and pressures on multiple fronts that may at times jeopardize your ability to do your job to the best of your ability and/or compromise patient safety. The Wyoming Pharmacy Association (WPhA) continues to stand with our colleagues across the nation who are protesting poor working conditions to protect patient safety.

Patient safety remains at the forefront of every pharmacist and pharmacy staff member as they care for their patients each day. And in order to provide medications, vaccinations, patient counseling, and the other services that patients need and pharmacists provide, it is imperative that the workplace conditions, which include appropriate staffing, be in place. The latest Pharmacy Workplace and Well-being Report highlights that inadequate staffing, unreasonable metrics, and harassment continue to plague pharmacists and pharmacy staff. WPhA and our national and state pharmacy association colleagues across the United States are advocating for safe working conditions that permit pharmacists and pharmacy staff to focus on patients. The health care industry has been stressed and stretched during COVID. There is no excuse for any healthcare entity to continually ignore the poor working conditions facing pharmacy and our other health care colleagues.

Pharmacists want to provide the best medicine and best care they can to their patients. Patient safety is at the core of the pharmacy profession but is compromised without adequate support. WPhA once again stands in support of the pharmacists and pharmacy staff who put patient safety and their own safety as a priority. And we applaud the pharmacies, pharmacists, and pharmacy staff across the U.S. that prioritize patient safety and safe workplace environments that lead to the provision of excellent health care and pharmacy services.

About WPhA

The Wyoming Pharmacy Association (WPhA) was founded in 1915 and is dedicated to advocating, education, and connecting to improve the health of Wyoming citizens through the advancement of pharmacy. WPhA’s membership is comprised of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and student pharmacists representing all practice settings across the state.

About PWWR

Pharmacy Workplace and Well-being Report – a safe, confidential, and anonymous space for pharmacy personnel to report positive and negative workplace experiences developed by the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA) and the American Pharmacists Association (APhA).

WPhA Stands in Support of Pharmacists & Pharmacy Staff

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 18:27:00 GMT

Cheyenne, WY (September 29, 2023) – The news of pharmacists leaving their jobs at CVS stores in the Kansas City metro area last week is a snapshot of a much bigger, long-time concern that has plagued pharmacies across the United States. COVID brought to light the poor workplace conditions that many pharmacists and pharmacy staff faced long before the pandemic. The Wyoming Pharmacy Association (WPhA) stands with our colleagues across the nation who are protesting poor working conditions to protect patient safety.

Patient safety is at the forefront of every pharmacist and pharmacy staff member as they care for their patients each day. And in order to provide medications, vaccinations, patient counseling, and the other services that patients need and pharmacists provide, it is imperative that the workplace conditions, which include appropriate staffing, be in place. The latest Pharmacy Workplace and Well-being Report highlights that inadequate staffing, unreasonable metrics, and harassment continue to plague pharmacists and pharmacy staff. WPhA and our national and state pharmacy association colleagues across the United States are advocating for safe working conditions that permit pharmacists and pharmacy staff to focus on patients. The health care industry has been stressed and stretched during COVID. There is no excuse for any healthcare entity to continually ignore the poor working conditions facing pharmacy and our other health care colleagues.

Pharmacists want to provide the best medicine and best care they can to their patients. Patient safety is at the core of the pharmacy profession but is compromised without adequate support. The pharmacy staff in Kansas City said “enough” and walked away. WPhA stands in support of the pharmacists and pharmacy staff who put patient safety and their own safety as a priority. And we applaud the pharmacies, pharmacists, and pharmacy staff across the U.S. that prioritize patient safety and safe workplace environments that lead to the provision of excellent health care and pharmacy services.

About WPhA

About PWWR

GRANT OPPORTUNITY: Healthy Heart Ambassador Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring

Tue, 14 Sep 2021 18:51:00 GMT

The Wyoming Department of Health, Chronic Disease Prevention Program is accepting applications for a Healthy Heart Ambassador Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring (HHA-BPSM) Grant. This grant is designed to support one Wyoming organization in implementing and evaluating the evidence-based HHA-BPSM program that promotes the prevention and management of hypertension in high-burden communities.

Organizations who are awarded the grant will be required to plan and implement a sustainable HHA-BPSM program in a healthcare or community setting. Total funding available for this award is ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00). Funding will be awarded to one (1) applicant with a maximum award amount of ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) per award. Funding is available until all funds are exhausted.

Apply Here

Wyoming Pharmacy Fact Sheet

Sun, 21 Mar 2021 22:22:00 GMT

Generated by NASPA, these fact sheets are intended to raise awareness of the importance of Pharmacists and Pharmacy to the citizens of Wyoming. Click here to DOWNLOAD the talking points link . Click here to DOWNLOAD the NASPA Fact Sheet Link

Pharmacist Provider Video

Mon, 27 Jul 2020 12:41:00 GMT

This video produced by IPC has been co-branded by WPhA to spread the word about the importance of provider status for pharmacists. https://vimeo.com/firetribe/review/441424303/8142a1ba50