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Idaho News: Emergency Rules Concerning Institutional Telepharmacy
Published in the December 2009 Idaho State Board of Pharmacy Newsletter
Pursuant to 2010 statute changes (please refer to the September 2009 Newsletter), a series of rule changes were approved as temporary by Governor C.L. Otter on September 3, 2009, with a backdated, effective date of July 1, 2009, the date that said statute changes took effect. The first change involved rescinding rules #261, #262, and #264, which have regulated telepharmacy within the state of Idaho since April 6, 2005. Thus, the following changes now regulate telepharmacy both within the state of Idaho and across state lines.
♦ 2010 statute changes mandated registration and lists many of the registration requirements of institutions that perform telepharmacy across state lines and the out-of-state pharmacists that perform these duties.
♦ Now in rule #294, the registration fee for each out-of-state, registered pharmacist is $250.
♦ Rule #292.10 defines the statutory term “institution engaged in the practice of telepharmacy across state lines” as “an out-of-state . . . institutional pharmacy . . . ,” as well as defining a central order entry pharmacy and a hospital system.
♦ Rule #252 defines several terms, such as central pharmacy, continuous quality improvement program, and drug regimen review.
♦ Rule #257 regulates the practice of outsourcing prescription processing or filling needs from one pharmacy to another contracted pharmacy. Telepharmacy is an example of such outsourcing.
♦ Rule #257.01 allows said outsourcing between institutional pharmacies providing it is for the “limited purpose of assuring that drugs or devices are attainable to meet the immediate needs of patients . . . ,” as well detailing contractual, data communication, and technology requirements.
♦ Rule #257.02 mandates that each pharmacy involved maintains a policy and procedures manual and documentation that its implementation is occurring. The manual must include, but is not limited to, contractual information, employee information, prescription tracking mechanisms, privacy security policies, drug security protocols, maintenance of a continuous quality improvement program, communication protocols, training and orientation programs, and other essential information.
