Sec. 562.1011. OPERATION OF CLASS C PHARMACY IN CERTAIN RURAL HOSPITALS

(a) In this section:

(1) "Nurse" has the meaning assigned by Section 301.002. The term includes a nurse who is also registered as a pharmacy technician.

(2) "Rural hospital" means a licensed hospital with 75 beds or fewer that:

(A) is located in a county with a population of 50,000 or less; or

(B) has been designated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as a critical access hospital, rural referral center, or sole community hospital.

(b) If a practitioner orders a prescription drug or device for a patient in a rural hospital when the hospital pharmacist is not on duty or when the institutional pharmacy is closed, a nurse or practitioner may withdraw the drug or device from the pharmacy in sufficient quantity to fill the order.

(c) The hospital pharmacist shall verify the withdrawal of a drug or device under Subsection (b) and perform a drug regimen review not later than the seventh day after the date of the withdrawal.

(d) In a rural hospital that uses a floor stock method of drug distribution, a nurse or practitioner may withdraw a prescription drug or device from the institutional pharmacy in the original manufacturer's container or a prepackaged container.

(e) The hospital pharmacist shall verify the withdrawal of a drug or device under Subsection (d) and perform a drug regimen review not later than the seventh day after the date of the withdrawal.

(f) A rural hospital may allow a pharmacy technician to perform the duties specified in Subsection (g) if:

(1) the pharmacy technician is registered and meets the training requirements specified by the board;

(2) a pharmacist is accessible at all times to respond to any questions and needs of the pharmacy technician or other hospital employees, by telephone, answering or paging service, e-mail, or any other system that makes a pharmacist accessible; and

(3) a nurse or practitioner or a pharmacist by remote access verifies the accuracy of the actions of the pharmacy technician.

(g) If the requirements of Subsection (f) are met, the pharmacy technician may, during the hours that the institutional pharmacy in the hospital is open, perform the following duties in the pharmacy without the direct supervision of a pharmacist:

(1) enter medication order and drug distribution information into a data processing system;

(2) prepare, package, or label a prescription drug according to a medication order if a licensed nurse or practitioner verifies the accuracy of the order before administration of the drug to the patient;

(3) fill a medication cart used in the rural hospital;

(4) distribute routine orders for stock supplies to patient care areas;

(5) access and restock automated medication supply cabinets; and

(6) perform any other duty specified by the board by rule.

(h) The pharmacist-in-charge of an institutional pharmacy in a rural hospital shall develop and implement policies and procedures for the operation of the pharmacy when a pharmacist is not on-site.

(i) On or after September 1, 2011, the board may establish, by rule, a requirement for prospective and retrospective drug use review by a pharmacist for each new drug order. A drug use review is not required when a delay in administration of the drug would harm the patient in an urgent or emergency situation, including sudden changes in a patient's clinical status.

(j) Rural hospitals may establish standing orders and protocols, to be developed jointly by the pharmacist and medical staff, that may include additional exceptions to instances in which prospective drug use review is required.

(k) This section does not restrict or prohibit the board from adopting a rule related to authorizing the withdrawal of a drug or device by a nurse or practitioner from, or the supervision of a pharmacy technician in, an institutional pharmacy not located in a rural hospital. As part of the rulemaking process, the board shall consider the effect that a proposed rule, if adopted, would have on access to pharmacy services in hospitals that are not rural hospitals.

(l) The board shall adopt rules to implement this section, including rules specifying:

(1) the records that must be maintained under this section;

(2) the requirements for policies and procedures for operation of a pharmacy when a pharmacist is not on-site; and

(3) the training requirements for pharmacy technicians.

Added by Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1128 , Sec. 1, eff. June 19, 2009.