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OLYMPIA -- The Washington State Medicaid program is notifying its health-care providers and pharmacists that a new federal requirement that all written Medicaid prescriptions will have to be written on special tamper-resistant paper will not take effect until April1, 2008.
The new requirement originally had been scheduled to take effect on October 1, 2007, but many prescribers and pharmacies nationally said they were not ready.
Late last week, the House and Senate approved bills to change the implementation date. President Bush signed the six-month delay into law on Saturday.
The requirement had been inserted into a defense spending bill passed by Congress earlier this year. It applied to all written prescriptions for drugs and over-the-counter medications, not just narcotics or so-called Schedule II drugs.
Doug Porter, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) and State Medicaid Director, said the program began notifying providers of the delay by e-mail and fax this weekend once it confirmed that the delay had been approved. He said additional information about the implementation would have to come from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), but that DSHS will relay it to providers when it comes.
As passed earlier this year, the rule will not apply to telephoned, faxed or electronic prescriptions – or to Medicaid prescriptions covered by Healthy Options or the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Both are administered by private health plans under contact with the state. The Healthy Options and SCHIP programs cover a little more than half of the state's 870,000 medical assistance clients statewide.
The tamper-resistant pads have several key features:
1) No copying: Pads must prevent unauthorized copying of completed or blank prescription forms. For example: Pantographs that reveal the word "void" when copied.
2) No alterations: Pads must resist erasures or editing on the paper. For example: Chemical stains or altered backgrounds that mark any attempt to alter or remove ink or toner.
3) No counterfeiting: Pads must be distinctive and include watermarks or other devices that can't be reproduced.
Porter urged pharmacists and prescribers to use the six-month delay to make sure they have access to pads of the new tamper-resistant paper.
In at least some cases, prescribers are already using the new paper for Schedule II (narcotics) drugs, he noted.
"It goes without saying that we want our medical providers to be sensitive to the possibility of fraud and to react accordingly when they spot it," he said. "They should quickly report any suspicious prescriptions to the prescribing provider as quickly as possible."
Clients or providers with questions about the new federal requirement may call the Medical Assistance Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-800-562-3022. Additional information is on the Internet at: http://maa.dshs.wa.gov .
FRAUD HOT LINE: Providers or citizens who suspect Medicaid prescription fraud can call a special hot line at DSHS – 1-800-562-6906.
