NABP Government Affairs Department Supports Vermont Board's Efforts to Increase Operations Efficiency

July 12, 2011 3:21 PM

Originally published in the June-July 2011 NABP Newsletter

As part of an ongoing effort to support boards of pharmacy with customized services, the NABP Government Affairs Department recently completed an assessment of operations for the Vermont Board of Pharmacy.

To assist the Vermont Board in the development and implementation of operations improvements, Government Affairs staff assessed and made recommendations in three areas:

• First, staff assessed the Board’s operations and procedures and made several recommendations aimed to increase efficiency.
• Second, staff recommended existing NABP programs and services that would address certain identified needs.
• Finally, recommendations related to staffing were provided with the goal of facilitating efficiency and decreasing the workload demands on the board of pharmacy members.

Operations Assessment

NABP Government Affairs staff met with senior staff in the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) and with members of the Vermont Board of Pharmacy to understand and assess the operations procedures, including which functions are currently handled by OPR staff and which are handled by Board members. Government Affairs staff focused on the areas of licensing, discipline/compliance, and policy in conducting the assessment.

As a result of the operations assessment, Government Affairs staff made recommendations to the Vermont OPR and Board for streamlining certain functions, including advising which functions could be performed by OPR staff rather than Board members, and providing suggestions for increasing the efficiency of certain permit processes.

Staff also made additional recommendations aimed to free Board members from certain routine operational responsibilities usually handled by Board staff, such as handling routine correspondence that may need pharmacy expertise. Such changes would allow Board members to spend more of their time commitment on strategic goals identified to improve the practice of pharmacy or address needed areas of regulation. Other suggestions included, posting a list of frequently asked questions on the Board’s Web site, and developing guidance documents regarding the implementation of state statute and regulations to reduce the need for Board member responses to inquiries from licensees, registrants, and others. Another recommendation was that the Board explore the feasibility of adopting an alternative program to traditional disciplinary action for pharmacists who are identified as possibly impaired due to drug or alcohol abuse. Such programs can reduce the disciplinary and compliance workload for the Board. Such programs also help ensure safe practice by monitoring the recovery of pharmacists allowed to return to practice and their compliance with terms and conditions established by the Board.

Government Affairs staff also recommended that the Board create the position of executive director and outlined the contributions this role makes to boards of pharmacy. After considering NABP’s assessment, the Board decided to move forward with identifying a contractor to serve in the role of executive director on a part-time basis.

Support with NABP Services

Government Affairs staff also advised the Board that several existing NABP services may support the process of streamlining operations as well as provide additional regulatory support.

As it developed a plan to streamline operations, the Board was encouraged to consider the following customizable NABP services:

• Customized classroom or field training to support Board staff in a variety of capacities
• Assessments of inspection forms to provide process improvements and recommended revisions
• Customized inspection services (available as a fee-based program)

The Board was also reminded to consider how legislation that recognizes or requires certain NABP accreditation programs supports the regulatory functions of the Board. For example, some states either require or recognize VAWD® accreditation for wholesale distributors as meeting state requirements for licensure.

As result, the Vermont Board requested that NABP Government Affairs assist in an evaluation of its inspection processes and assist with the development of inspection processes for institutional pharmacies.

Government Affairs Services

As a member benefit, NABP Government Affairs offers customizable training and education, as well as operations and inspection processes assessments to boards of pharmacy. In addition, customized inspection services, available as a fee-based service, can support boards so that members and staff can focus on other compliance and regulatory matters.

For inquiries about the support and services offered by NABP Government Affairs, please send an e-mail to GovernmentAffairs@nabp.net.