Top Photo: Juliet R. Tinsley  Bottom Photo Left to Right: Wanda Moorman, Amanda Tinsley, Daryl Tinsley, Debbie Oswalt, Brittany Tinsley, Roosevelt Rose, Tina Rose

Honor & Celebration of Juliet Tinsley 

2019 You "Rx"ceptional Award Recipient

VHCF created the You "Rx"ceptional Award in 2004 and it has been given annually at its Heroes in Health Care event to highlight the work of a Medication Assistance Caseworker (MAC) who has made extraordinary efforts to help uninsured patients obtain the free PAP medicines.

 

This year, Juliet Tinsley received the award posthumously for making The Pharmacy Connection (TPC) the highly effective tool that it is today. For 19 years, Juliet led the evolution and expanded the utilization of TPC. Her creativity and leadership amidst ever-changing technology and other challenges ensured hundreds of thousands of uninsured individuals in Virginia and 15 other states had access to the medicines they needed. In Virginia, she left behind 334,000 uninsured Virginians who received more than 5 million prescriptions valued at more than $5 billion.

 

We are grateful for Juliet and miss her presence and friendship every day. Her husband and daughters received the award on her behalf.

To learn more about other award recipients honored at this event including Unsung Heroes, Excellence in Enrollment and Health Safety Net Innovation, click here.

 

Highlights of Important PAP Updates & Resources

Pfizer RxPathways has resumed shipments of Relpax and this medication is no longer on backorder.

Nitrostat and Viagra will be removed from the Pfizer Patient Assistance Program on October 1, 2019 as these medications have lost their patent exclusivity and now have generic alternatives costing $30 or less for a 30-day supply through other resources such as but not limited to: Rx Outreach, local pharmacies, Pfizer Savings Program and Viagra's Co-pay Card. Patients currently enrolled in the program for these products will continue to receive refills through the end of their current enrollment period. Once patients reach the end of the enrollment period, refills will no longer be available.

 

AZ&Me no longer offers Tudorza Pressair (used to treat symptoms of COPD) on its PAP effective June 28, 2019. The last day to submit refills for existing patients was June 21, 2019. Circassia Connect has acquired this medication and does not currently offer a PAP but a co-pay program is available. U ninsured patients (including patients with Medicare A & B) who would be paying cash, would be eligible to receive a coupon for $10 per inhaler. To obtain the coupon, the patient must take their Rx to any pharmacy and ask the pharmacy to contact the program for the coupon. Patients are only able to get 1 inhaler at a time. Commercially insured patients (not those with Medicare D, Medicaid and Tricare) who have a high copayment may be eligible to get a coupon for $10 per inhaler and are able to get them in a 90-day supply costing $30. Circassia Connect said to check back in August as others programs may become available at a later date. For more information, call Circassia Connect Patient Assistance Hotline at 1-844-892-7872.

Takeda Patient Assistance no longer accepts new patients with Uloric (used in the treatment of Gout) prescriptions effective July 1, 2019. Patients currently enrolled and receiving Uloric refills can continue to do so until December 31, 2019.

GSKforyou will be removing all strengths of Requip XL (used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease) from its PAP at the end of September. Notifications will be going out to patients and providers. The program has also launched new application forms, one for vaccines and one for non-vaccines which are available in TPC.

 

Gilead's Ranexa Connect Program will no longer be available or offering the medication Ranexa (used to treat chronic angina) effective January 1, 2020 due to the availability of the generic ranolazine. The Ranexa Connect Co-Pay program is available to eligible commercially insured patients until December 31, 2019. For more information, contact Ranexa Connect at 1-888-726-3925.

 

For other PAP Program Changes, check out the Research section of TPC for more information on recent changes and updates to the system!

 

Are you using TPC's Mobile Medication Web App?

Don't forget TPC has a separate mobile medication web app to help providers, MACs, volunteers and other clinic staff search for more free and low-cost medicine right at their fingertips? They can search by brandname, generic, class and subclass and determine if a medication is available for free from TPC or a low fee! A shortcut can be downloaded to any mobile device and the link can also be accessed from a computer.

 

Monthly Medicaid Expansion Technical Support Calls Continue in 2019

Mark your calendars for: August 7^th, September 11^th, October 9^th, November 6^th and December 4^th from 10am-11am. VHCF will continue to host monthly calls to see how enrollment is going and if there is anything we can do to support you. VHCF staff provide updates and will answer your questions. It's also a great opportunity to brainstorm and learn from other TPC users.

RxRelief Virginia grantees are required to participate, but all TPC users are welcome to join the call to learn & share information. No registration required. Call-in details will be emailed to all TPC users the week before the session.

Patient Annual Medicaid Renewals Coming Soon

Medicaid/FAMIS enrollees must renew their coverage annually. For some newly-enrolled adults, Medicaid renewal may be right around the corner, even if their New Adult Coverage began on January 1. That's because adults who were enrolled based on their eligibility for another public benefits program have a renewal date tied to that program.

• Adults who were automatically transitioned to the New Adult Coverage (from GAP or Plan First) will maintain the annual renewal date from their prior program.
• Adults who completed an Express Application(either as SNAP enrollees or as parents of a child enrolled in FAMIS Plus) will need to renew by their SNAP recertification date, or their child's renewal date.
• When possible, the local Department of Social Services (LDSS) will attempt to renew an enrollee without contacting the enrollee. This is called an ex parte renewal.
• Adults who completed the full application should expect to get a renewal packet around 10 months after their coverage began. Many newly-eligible adults may find that their local DSS is able to complete their annual renewal ex parte, so they do not need to complete any paperwork at renewal time.

When LDSS renews an enrollee ex parte, s/he will get a Notice of Action that shows that his/her Medicaid/FAMIS coverage will continue for another year. If the LDSS cannot complete an enrollee's renewal ex parte, s/he will get a prepopulated renewal form in the mail. S/he can then complete the renewal by:

• Calling Cover Virginia at 1-855-242-8282
• Going online to www.commonhelp.virginia.gov and "Associating" his/her case with his/her CommonHelp account (Note: The enrollee will need a Case Number and a Client ID number to do this). From there, s/he can select "Renew My Coverage" and complete the renewal online.
• Correcting any information on the prepopulated renewal form, signing it, and mailing it to the LDSS.

Registration Open for Fall SignUpNow Workshops

SignUpNow  (SUN) will be back on the road again in September! Check out www.vhcf.org/workshops to find a SUN training near you! We will continue to add workshops, so be sure to check back periodically.

SignUpNow  teaches the "ins and outs" of the eligibility requirements, application procedures, and post-enrollment information for Virginia's Medicaid and FAMIS programs:

• New adult coverage
• Programs for children and pregnant women
• Plan First (family planning)
• Low Income Families and Children (LIFC) program
  

SignUpNow  participants will be able to provide hands-on assistance to individuals and families who want to apply for Medicaid or FAMIS.

Upcoming TPC Trainings

Sign up for a TPC training session if you are new to your organization and need to learn the basics, if you currently use TPC  and are looking to refresh your skills or want check out additional advanced features.

Beginner

July 24 - Online

September 13 - Online

September 24 - Roanoke

 

Advanced

August 8 - Online

November 6 - Online

Please check out the rest of the schedule and register for a session here! If you are looking for training in your area and don't see a location near you, please let us know.

TPC FAQs - Some of the most frequently asked technical support questions

Q: Can I make patient notes urgent in TPC?

Q: Is there a way to add or edit a Prescription (Rx) number in TPC?

 

Q: Is there a way to view New Patients added to TPC

in a specified time frame?

Check out the answers here. Look for more FAQs and Training Videos under TPC Help!

We want to hear from you! - TPC Annual Survey Coming in August

Each year, VHCF  conducts an annual survey of those who use TPC and uses the responses to help plan and consider future software enhancements and other types of changes that can be made to better support you. We are always looking for ways we can help you and your patients. Your feedback is greatly appreciated! Stay tuned!