Lanton Law Speaks With Pharmacy Times About Provider Status

Below is the description from Pharmacy Times about our discussion with them on pharmacy provider status. You can listen to the interview here.

In this episode of Pharmacy Focus: Policy Edition, we delve into the intricacies of provider status for pharmacists, including challenges that have hindered pharmacists from attaining this recognition, the recent legislative strides, and the far-reaching implications for the field. Our guest, Ron Lanton III, Esq from Lanton Law, lends his expertise to shed light on the financial impacts and effective advocacy strategies.

Key Topics

• Unpacking the concept of provider status for pharmacists and its significance

• Recent legislative advancements that have propelled the provider status movement forward

• Implications of achieving provider status: expanded clinical roles, reimbursement opportunities, and patient care improvements

• Financial considerations for pharmacists and the broader healthcare landscape

• Strategies for effective advocacy to accelerate provider status adoption

Lanton Law Talks Provider Status With Don Downing; Clinical Professor at the UW School of Pharmacy

We have a new podcast with Professor Downing of the University of Washington School of Pharmacy. We discuss pharmacy provider status and the opportunities within pharmacy. Listen here.

Massachusetts Attorney General Agrees to Optum Atrius Health Merger

Massachusetts Attorney General Healey has agreed to Optum’s Atrius Health acquisition for a price of $236 million. With this Optum has taken another step in its acquisition of Massachusetts’ largest independent physician organization. 

The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission has also been reviewing this transaction. The Commission’s preliminary review on the transaction can be found here. 

Lanton Law is a national boutique regulatory law and lobbying firm that focuses on healthcare, technology and clean energy. Our mergers and acquisitions practice focuses on helping stakeholders acquire targets as well as helping clients transfer assets.

If you are an industry stakeholder with questions about the current landscape or if you would like to discuss how your organization’s strategic initiatives might be impacted by either Congress, regulatory agencies or legal decisions, contact us today.

Massachusetts Discussing Data Privacy Protection

Senator Creem and Senator Lesser have introduced S.46 titled “An Act Establishing the Massachusetts Information Privacy Act.” The bill can be found here. The Act applies to Massachusetts businesses that earn $10,000 or more annual revenue through 300 or more transactions or that process or maintain the personal information of 10,000 or more unique individuals during the course of a calendar year. The bill has protections on the collection of biometric or location information and seeks to prevent companies from discriminating based on consumer personal information. The MA Information Privacy Commission would also be created by this proposal to oversee this bill’s regulatory scheme. 

This bill mirrors the efforts unleashed by the landmark General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe which has been followed by efforts in California. Massachusetts did have a predecessor to S.46 in 2019 which stalled in the legislature.

The bill is currently in the Advanced Information Technology, the Internet and Cybersecurity Committee.  If you are a technology, healthcare or commerce stakeholder then this is something to keep a watch on.  

Lanton Law is a national healthcare & technology law and government affairs firm. Our technology practice has been monitoring privacy developments nationwide. If you are a commerce, technology or healthcare/life science stakeholder with questions about the current landscape or if you would like to discuss how your organization’s strategic initiatives might be impacted by either Congress, regulatory agencies or legal decisions, contact us today.

Massachusetts Launches First in the Nation Marijuana Product Catalog For Public Awareness of the Regulated Supply Chain

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission has distributed a press release announcing the first in the nation of a “Product Catalog that will provide the public with a comprehensive database of regulated marijuana products that are sold through the Commonwealth’s licensed Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers (MTCs) and Marijuana Establishments (MEs). The regulatory platform, which is considered the first of its kind in the nation, is hosted through the state’s seed-to-sale system of record, Metrc, and will be embedded on the Commission’s website.”

Furthermore according to the Commission:

“The Commission’s Product Catalog was designed to assist engaged stakeholders, such as school administrators, public safety officials, medical professionals, and parents, with identifying the source of legally produced cannabis merchandise. Under the Commission’s regulations, licensed Marijuana Product Manufacturers must provide information about the marijuana products they will produce and make available at wholesale, after receiving a provisional license and prior to commencing operations in the Commonwealth. Information must include:

• The marijuana product type and brand name;

• A list of direct and indirect ingredients in the product;

• Product serving size, including a description of what constitutes a serving size for a product that is not already a single serving;

• Potency;

• Photographs of the product both inside its packaging, and outside of and next to its packaging, plus any external or internal packaging; and

• A list of marijuana products to be sold based on anticipated or executed agreements between the Marijuana Product Manufacturer and the retail or delivery licensee.

 Users will be able to easily look up an item on the Commission’s platform to verify its packaging and labels, ingredients, manufacturing information, which Product Manufacturers produce and wholesale the product in Massachusetts, and more. Marijuana product searches can be completed based on a product name, category, keywords, or other unique identifiers.”

 Lanton Law is a national boutique law and lobbying firm that focuses on healthcare/life sciences and technology. Specifically our cannabis practice helps all supply chain entities from growers, financiers, suppliers, dispensers to ancillary services.

If you are an industry stakeholder with questions about the current landscape or if you would like to discuss how your organization’s strategic initiatives might be impacted by either Congress, regulatory agencies or legal decisions, contact us today.

Massachusetts Enacts New Climate Law

This month, Governor Baker (R-MA) signed SB 9 titled “An Act Creating a Next Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy.” The new law is part of the Governor’s commitment to achieve net zero emissions in 2050. According to the press release, the new law “establishes new interim goals for emissions reductions, significantly increases protections for Environmental Justice communities across Massachusetts, authorizes the Administration to implement a new, voluntary energy efficient building code for municipalities, and allows the Commonwealth to procure an additional 2,400 Megawatts (MW) of clean, reliable offshore wind energy by 2027. Building upon the framework established in the Administration’s 2050 Decarbonization Roadmap and Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2030, the bipartisan bill allows the Commonwealth to pursue ambitious emissions reduction goals in a cost-effective and equitable manner while creating jobs and opportunities for economic development throughout Massachusetts.”

As our economy continues to evolve into the 21st century, we foresee more aggressive policies to be enacted around green energy that seeks to bring about a comprehensive solution to climate change. 

Lanton Law is a national boutique regulatory law and lobbying firm that focuses on green energy, healthcare and technology. If you are an industry stakeholder with questions about the current landscape or if you would like to discuss how your organization’s strategic initiatives might be impacted by either Congress, regulatory agencies or legal decisions, contact us today. 

Lanton Law Interviews the Massachusetts Pharmacists Association on DIR & Provider Status

We are excited to have Lindsay De Santis; Executive Vice President of the Massachusetts Pharmacists Association (MPhA) do a blogcast with us. Our conversation covers pharmacy DIR (direct and indirect remuneration) fees, pharmacy provider status and COVID-19.

Click here to access the Lanton Law blogcast.