Stay in the Know: Caremark Aberrant Practices and Trends
PAAS National®® analysts continue to see pharmacies fall victim to Caremark’s Aberrant Practices and Trends enforcement.
Entries by Dana Westberg, CPhT
GLP-1 Prescriptions Remain in the Crosshairs of Auditors
GLP-1 medications continue to come under scrutiny from PBM auditors for several reasons. High cost, off-label use, rising utilization, and billing irregularities make these easy audit targets. Pharmacies must remain diligent to ensure accuracy and appropriateness when dispensing these medications to avoid recoupments. The latest in audit recoupments have come from…
Delivering to a Clinic? Avoid Audit Risks!
Traditional dispensing for independent pharmacies continues to transform. Beyond dispensing prescriptions at the pharmacy counter, some pharmacies are providing patient-specific prescriptions directly to clinics for administration. Pharmacies must be aware and protect themselves from the heightened audit risks. While PAAS National®® has written countless Newsline articles on signature, delivery, and mailing requirements to help our […]
From Headache to Hassle Free: Best Practices in Migraine Medication Billing
Migraine medications continue to be targeted for audit by all PBMs. With new products on the market, rising costs, and frequency of refills, PBMs are looking for billing errors to claw back payments on audit. OptumRx’s latest tactic…
Why Adhering to Your Return to Stock Policy Is So Important
Pharmacies often struggle with patients not picking up prescriptions on a timely basis. The lag time could be caused by several reasons – cost concerns, transportation issues, mental health factors, or miscommunication are just a few of the possibilities. While pharmacies are sympathetic to patient situations, it is prudent to be aware of the consequences […]
Are You Familiar with Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) Billing Obligations?
Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) is a program for patients that have Medicare Parts A and B coverage and qualify for additional coverage through Medicaid.
Medicare Billing for Insulin Pump Therapy
Pharmacies billing insulin vials for eligible Medicare patients must pay extra attention to ensure proper coverage. Since the frequency of dispensing insulin vials has greatly decreased due to the introduction of insulin pens, it is very important pharmacies take a pause and investigate how the patient is utilizing the insulin vials. Medicare covers insulin vials […]
Audit and Appeal Due Dates: Stay Ahead of the Clock with These Essential Tips
Pharmacy practice often revolves around meeting tight deadlines. Prioritizing can become challenging when you’re focused on providing prompt service to waiting patients or rushing to meet inventory ordering deadlines, all while managing your daily tasks. It’s tempting to push aside a PBM audit request, or its results, to tackle more immediate responsibilities. Unfortunately, neglecting audit […]
2024-2025 Self-Audit Series #12: Electronic Prescriptions
This month’s article will wrap up the 2024-2025 Self-Audit Series. Our focus for this article is electronic prescriptions and their potential audit risks. Electronic prescriptions have solved some problems (e.g., indecipherable handwriting), but have also created new problems. By focusing on the following tips when reviewing your electronic prescriptions, you can help prevent significant recoupments. […]
2024-2025 Self-Audit Series #11: Controlled Substance Prescriptions
The opioid epidemic continues to make controlled substance prescriptions an increased focus for PBM audits. The potential for fraud, diversion, overdoses, and abuse remains high and pharmacies must stay vigilant when dispensing these prescriptions. Due to federal and state requirements, controlled substance prescriptions have an increased risk of audit discrepancies. When found discrepant, PBMs typically […]
