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DPH extends PHI contract for two months
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Posted on Oct 24 2006
The Department of Public Health has extended its outpatient contract pharmacy services with PHI Pharmacy for another two months after its contract expired in July.
Public Health Secretary Joseph Kevin P. Villagomez said a request for proposals was published in newspapers several weeks ago for the outpatient pharmacy services of the Commonwealth Health Center. He said only PHI Pharmacy responded to the bid bulletin.
“After careful review, we have decided that we will extend PHI’s current contract for two more months while we cancel the original RFP,” Villagomez said.
He said the main reason for the cancellation of the previous RFP was also because of plans to move the outpatient pharmacy to the new Dr. Jose T. Villagomez Center for Public Health and Dialysis facility since all outpatient services would move to the new wing.
“The current location is just too far from the clinics in the new facility and we want to ensure that access for patients to get their medication is easy,” said Villagomez.
A new RFP for outpatient pharmacy will shortly be sent out and will be announced for no more than three weeks, said Villagomez. “Then we will select the company that will provide the pharmacy service.”
Apart from the requirement to transfer the pharmacy to the new CHC facility, there is no other obstacle in the selection of the outpatient pharmacy.
PHI Pharmacy has been providing pharmacy services for 10 years now.
PHI Pharmacy, which operates under U.S. pharmacy standards of practice, fills approximately over 450 prescriptions per weekday and over 150 prescriptions on weekends and holidays.
The PHI team includes a manager and pharmacist, an assistant manager and pharmacist, two staff pharmacists, five technicians, a registrar, three claims processors and an accountant.
PHI Pharmacy has been the only provider of pharmaceutical need of Medicaid patients in the CNMI. It has also been the only one that provides pediatric nutritional products and supplement. Other programs that it has extended to the Commonwealth are the workers compensation and the indigent program that share costing of medications for the needy.
