The legislature of the State of Mississippi has listened to the pharmacists of the state related to the adverse impact on their practice because of Medicare Part D and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). Mississippi House Bill 542 includes provisions to ensure prompt payment of health insurance claims to pharmacists by PBMs. The bill goes into effect on June 30 of this year.

The new law requires that:

1. PBMs file financial statements with the Mississippi State Insurance Department.
2. PBMs use a nationally recognized reference in calculating pricing for reimbursing pharmacies and must update that reference no less than every three business days.
3. Electronically filed clean claims must be paid within 15 days, and paper claims no later than 35 days.
4. The Mississippi State Board of Pharmacy will monitor PBMs for compliance and has the authority to administer penalties for noncompliance.

Even though the goal of the Medicare Part D program may have been admirable, the implementation by the bureaucracy has been troublesome. It reminds me of what happened with the HIPPA regulations. The relatively short and simple law that was passed became an unwieldy and oftentimes ridiculous set of regulations when turned over to the bureaucrats, who often seem more interested in protecting their own turf and expanding their areas of influence.

We need to consider that there is often a big difference between the intent of a law that is passed by Congress and the implementation of that law by the government agencies that prepare and enforce the regulations related to that law. We not only have a responsibility to aid in the passing of laws by Congress, but maybe we have an even greater responsibility in making sure the regulations related to the law are properly written. I know on occasions when I have talked to our elected representatives, they often are astonished at the implementation of the laws they have passed and sometimes simply scratch their head in amazement at what has happened.

Maybe we all can learn from the Mississippi pharmacists; if we can't get success at the national level due to the influence of the large drug companies and PBMs, maybe we can work easier at the state level. I am assuming here that the state pharmacy associations are "alive and well" and active in promoting and protecting the profession of pharmacy. If not, they should be. Sometimes it is easier to "take care of business" locally when we have difficulty taking care of it nationally. We need to support both our national and state/local pharmacy organizations. If we do, we may see some great things happen in the future.

Loyd V. Allen, Jr., Ph.D., R.Ph
Editor-in-Chief

The Compounder's Network List (CNL) has been a free discussion group of the International Journal of Pharmaceutical Compounding for more than three years. The CNL has more than 1,050 pharmacy professionals participating from all over the world. Posts of 11,100 on more than 4,500 topics that affect the pharmacy profession and patient care now comprise the CNL archives and are available to all CNL subscribers.

CNL subscribers can access the archives using their subscribed e-mail address and password at http://lists.ijpc.com/wa.exe?S1=network&X=-

Subscribers can create a password to access the archives and manage their account settings at http://lists.ijpc.com/wa.exe?GETPW1=REPORT%26z=3

Not a CNL subscriber? Join compounding's most active community today at www.ijpc.com/Editorial/Listserve.cfm

This week 38 article citations and abstracts were added to CompoundingToday.com. Here is a sampling of these articles:

• Bolser DC. Cough suppressant and pharmacologic protussive therapy: ACCP evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. Chest 2006; 129(1 Suppl): 238S-249S.
• Chang AB, Halstead RA, Petsky HL. Methylxanthines for prolonged non-specific cough in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2005; 20(3): CD005310.
• Dicpinigaitis PV. Chronic cough due to asthma: ACCP evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. Chest 2006; 129(1 Suppl): 75S-79S.
• Madison JM, Irwin RS. Pharmacotherapy of chronic cough in adults. Expert Opin Pharmacother 2003; 4(7): 1039-1048.
• Reynolds SM, Mackenzie AJ, Spina D et al. The pharmacology of cough. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2004; 25(11): 569-576.

Downloadable, customizable Standard Operating Procedures is one of CompoundingToday.com's most accessed resources. Here are the SOP categories most accessed:

• 374 Compounding Procedures
• 229 Equipment
• 224 Administrative
• 117 Training
• 114 Quality Assurance
•   86 Facility - Cleaning
•   68 Facility - Environment and Maintenance
•   51 Personnel
•   49 Safety
•   26 Inventory Control
•     6 Veterinary Compounding

This Regulatory Update has been provided by the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists. For more information, www.iacprx.org.

P2C2 is Back!
IACP recently launched a new advocacy affiliate, Patients and Professionals for Customized Care (P2C2). P2C2 is a free organization that will bring together thousands of patients and professionals who can inform Congress and the media about personal accounts of how compounded medicines are a critical part of modern, individualized health care. Visit www.SaveMyMedicine.org for more information on this effort.

Get the Real Facts about Compounding
IACP recently launched CompoundingFacts.org, a website dedicated to addressing the most common myths about compounding, as a further means of providing the public with complete and accurate information about the profession and services provided to patients. Visit CompoundingFacts.org for more information - and a free political cartoon about Wyeth's recent efforts against compounded BHRT.

EPS® Tri-Sided Disposable Beakers

EPS®, INC. is pleased to announce the addition of 6 sizes of disposable beakers to its growing line of compounding and dispensing accessories.

Ranging from 50 mL to 1,000 mL, the beakers are manufactured with a tri-sided design and specially notched corners for easy pouring to minimize spillage. The beakers are made from durable, translucent polypropylene so they're resistant to most acids and bases. Graduations, in both English (ounces) and metric (milliliters), are formed into the beaker so they won't deteriorate, allowing fluid levels to be easily seen. Their flat bottoms reduce the possibility of tipping and allows for simple stacking and storage.

For more information, please contact:
EPS, INC.
Toll Free Phone: (800) 523-8966
E-Mail: info@medidose.com
Web Site: www.medidose.com

Safeguarding Your Personal Information
From the desk of an attorney whose wallet was stolen, the following suggestions have been made.

1. The next time you order checks, have only your initials (instead of your first name) and last name put on them.
2. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put "PHOTO ID REQUIRED."
3. When paying bills on your credit card accounts, do not put the entire account number on the check; just the last four numbers.
4. Consider placing your work phone number or cell phone number on your checks.
5. If you have a PO Box, use that instead of your home address.
6. Never have your social security number printed on your checks.
7. Copy the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine; both sides of each license, credit card, etc., and keep the photocopy in a safe place.
8. When traveling abroad, keep a photocopy of your passport.
9. When checking out of a hotel that uses cards for entry keys, do not turn the "keys" in, but take them with you and destroy them. Some may have the information on them you gave the hotel, including address, credit card number, etc.
10. Keep the toll-free numbers handy that need to be called when your credit cards are stolen.
11. If your credit cards are stolen, file a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where they were stolen.