April 25, 2008

Reminder:  Pharmacist Volunteers Still Needed For

2008 Mission of Mercy Dental Free Clinic – May 2nd & 3rd

The Arkansas Pharmacists Association is joining with the Arkansas Dental Association to provide a charitable pharmacy clinic in conjunction with the 2008 Mission of Mercy Free Dental Clinic on Friday and Saturday, May 2nd & 3rd at the Robinson Music Hall Convention Center.  Last year, the free clinic provided free dental services and free prescription drugs related to the dental procedures to over 1500 Arkansans who are without any dental insurance coverage.  The uninsured from all over Arkansas waited in lines for hours to receive this dental care that they desperately needed. 

We are in need of pharmacist volunteers to help staff the charitable pharmacy clinic.  The clinic will be open at 7:00am and conclude at 5:30pm on May 2nd and 3rd.  The need is greatest all day on Saturday, May 3rd.  Please consider this opportunity to volunteer to help provide these needed services to the less fortunate in our state.  To register as a pharmacist volunteer, please provide the following information and fax the form to Scott at the APA at 501-372-0546.

Name:_________________________________  Arkansas Pharmacist License Number:_______________

Phone Number:__________________________ Email Address:__________________________________

Employer:_____________________________________________________________________________

Please check the date and time when you can volunteer:

___Noon – 5:30pm – Friday, May 2nd

___7:00AM – Noon – Saturday, May 3rd                    ___Noon – 5:30pm – Saturday, May 3rd

 NPI Claim Submission Deadline – May 19th

On May 19th, Arkansas Medicaid will be required by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) to require a valid NPI number for adjudication of pharmacy claims.  More specifically, pharmacies will be required to submit claims using their pharmacy’s NPI number and will be required to submit claims with a valid prescriber NPI number.

Recent data from Arkansas Medicaid suggests that as many as 77 percent of recent pharmacy claims were processed without a valid prescriber NPI number.  In addition, almost 20 percent of pharmacy claims were processed without a valid pharmacy NPI number.  Please note that these NPI numbers will be mandatory for Arkansas Medicaid claims to adjudicate after May 19th.

To locate NPI numbers for prescribers in your area, contact your pharmacy system vendor or visit the official NPI registry at http://nppes.cms.hhs.gov.