Additional News
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WALLACE NELSON RECEIVES 2024 BOWL OF HYGEIA AWARD
JULY 25, 2024
The North Carolina Association of Pharmacists presented Wallace E. Nelson with the 2024 Bowl of Hygeia Award at its annual convention. Established in 1958, the Bowl of Hygeia Award is sponsored by the American Pharmacists Association Foundation and the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations. Participating state pharmacy associations recognize one pharmacist annually for an outstanding record of community civic leadership. NCAP Executive Director Penny Shelton praised Wallace, noting that he has “walked the talk his entire career finding ways to serve and give back at extraordinarily high levels.”
Wallace is a native of Hertford. He began his post-secondary education at the College of the Albemarle and is a 1976 graduate of the UNC School of Pharmacy. His professional career began in retail pharmacy before joining Chowan Hospital in Edenton and Bertie Hospital in Windsor. He has served, and continues to serve, both hospitals at all levels for over forty years, thirty-six as Director of Pharmacy.
The state’s pharmacists elected Wallace to serve on the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy in 2000. He served two five-year terms, through 2010, and was again elected to the Board in 2020. Board members have selected him as President several times.
Wallace’s record of community service outside of pharmacy is long and diverse. He is a member of the Perquimans County Board of Education and Board of County Commissioners, where he currently serves as Chairman. He is actively involved in the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners and will be installed as President Elect in August 2024 and as President in 2025. Past appointments by Governors Martin, Hunt, McCrory, and Cooper, include the College of the Albemarle Board of Trustees, North Carolina Marine Industrial Authority, as well as several Governor’s Councils, Institutes and Legislative Study Commissions.
Wallace has been previously recognized for his community and state service. In 2010 Governor Perdue named Wallace to the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the state’s highest honor for those who have made significant contributions to the state and their communities through exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments. In 2011 the North Carolina School Boards Association tapped Wallace to receive the Raleigh Dingman Award, the highest honor bestowed on a school board member.
Wallace and his wife Freda (a retired educator) are the parents of Ethan (a practicing dentist), Lauren (a human resources manager), and the grandparents of Reagan and Harrison.
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BURGLARIES REPORTED AT MULTIPLE NORTH CAROLINA PHARMACIES
JULY 19, 2024
Multiple independent pharmacies in North Carolina have been burglarized. The burglars gained access using a sledgehammer or other means to open a hole in the pharmacy's exterior wall, including brick and cinder block. Once inside, the individuals crawled to stay below the motion sensor to access the controlled substance safe. The safes have been breached via crowbars and a Sawzall-type tool. These burglaries have occurred typically in the early hours of Monday mornings.
If you experience a loss of any prescription medication, controlled or otherwise, from your pharmacy, complete the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy Drug Disaster & Loss Report within ten (10) days of the loss or theft. This FAQ outlines the requirements in such cases.
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FAREWELL AND THANK YOU TO BOARD MEMBER ANDY BOWMAN
july 5, 2024
Board members and staff thank Andy Bowman for eight years of superlative service to the Board and the citizens of North Carolina. The state’s pharmacists elected Dr. Bowman in 2016, and he became the first graduate of the Campbell University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences to serve on the Board. The state’s pharmacists returned Dr. Bowman to a second term on the Board in 2021. He twice served as the Board’s president.
Dr. Bowman has accepted an exciting personal and professional opportunity with the Appalachian College of Pharmacy where he will serve as assistant dean for strategic partnerships and engagement. This new opportunity will require Dr. Bowman’s relocation to Virginia.
Dr. Bowman’s impact on the practice of pharmacy in North Carolina has been profound. In addition to serving on the Board, he taught generations of students at the Campbell University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. He served in leadership positions at the North Carolina Association of Pharmacists, the North Carolina Pharmacist Recovery Network (and its successor, the North Carolina Professionals Health Program), the American Society for Pharmacy Law, and the Harnett County Pharmaceutical Association.
North Carolina pharmacy is better because of Dr. Bowman’s long and broad service. He will be missed. Board members and staff wish him and his wife, Sarah, every success in this new phase.
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DISPENSING OPTOMETRIST REGISTRATION SYSTEM OPEN EFFECTIVE MARCH 1, 2024
FEBRUARY 27, 2024
Optometrists may now register with the NC Board of Pharmacy to dispense certain prescription drugs. G.S. § 90-127.4. Dispensing optometrists may dispense prescription drugs to their own patients only for the diagnosis and treatment of abnormal conditions of the eye and its adnexa. G.S. § 90-127.4(a) & (c). Dispensing optometrists may not compound medications, nor may they dispense controlled substances. G.S. § 90-127.4(a).
Dispensing optometrists must register with the Board of Pharmacy prior to beginning dispensing activities and must renew that registration annually. G.S. § 90-85.26B. The initial registration fee is $75, as is the annual renewal fee. G.S. § 90-85.24(a)(20).
A dispensing optometrist must comply in all respects with relevant laws and regulations that apply to pharmacists governing the distribution of drugs, including packaging, labeling, and record keeping. G.S. § 90-85.26B. The Board of Pharmacy may discipline a dispensing optometrist’s registration for violation of these laws and regulations. The Board of Optometry may discipline an optometrist’s license to practice optometry. G.S. § 90-85.25B.
Step-by-step instructions for completing a dispensing optometrist registration are found here.
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ALERT: PHISHING ATTEMPT TARGETING NC MEDICAID DME/PROSTHETICS & ORTHOTICS SUPPLIES PROVIDERS
MARCH 22, 2024
On March 22, 2024, NC Medicaid received notification of email phishing attempts targeted at Durable Medical Equipment/Prosthetics & Orthotics Suppliers (DME/POS) providers. The email appears to be from NC Medicaid, complete with the NC DHHS name and logo, and offers a link requiring the provider to verify information to avoid revocation of their license.
NCTracks sent the message below to all providers this afternoon. Please feel free to share with your members.
ALERT: Phishing Attempt Targeting Medicaid Durable Medical Equipment/Prosthetics & Orthotics Suppliers Providers
All providers should be aware and vigilant of phishing attempts.
NC DHHS has received notification of an email phishing attempt targeted at Durable Medical Equipment/Prosthetics & Orthotics Suppliers (DME/POS) providers. All providers should be aware and vigilant of phishing attempts.
The email appears to be from NC Medicaid, complete with the NC DHHS name and logo, and offers a link requiring the provider to verify information to avoid revocation of their license. Providers should NOT click on the link or follow the instructions of this phishing email.
For DME/POS providers, NC Medicaid requires certification, not licensure. Even when licensure is required, NC Medicaid does not have the authority to “revoke” a license issued by an external licensing board.
When a credential on the NCTracks provider enrollment record requires attention, NCTracks will send a notification to the provider through the NCTracks Provider Message Inbox detailing the actions needed to maintain participation. The Office Administrator of record may receive an email notifying of the message added to the Inbox, but neither NC Medicaid nor NCTracks will send an email offering a direct link to update a provider record.
If providers have been targeted by this phishing attempt, we recommend they contact their own Privacy / Security Officer and follow their agency’s protocols for such an attempt.
Contact:
• NCTracks Call Center: 800-688-6696
• Provider Ombudsman: 866-304-7062 -
REMINDER TO PHARMACY PROVIDERS: NORTH CAROLINA MEDICAID LAUNCHING NEW MANAGED CARE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND INTELLECTUAL/DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES TAILORED HEALTH PLANS ON JULY 1
JUNE 18, 2024
Details about these new plans may be found here. Questions about these new plans should be directed to North Carolina Medicaid.