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Oregon News: New State Projects Funded by New Fees
Published in the February 2010 Oregon State Board of Pharmacy Newsletter
A health professions workforce data collection project has been established by the 2009 legislature. This program will require health regulatory boards to collect specific work force data from certain health professions in addition to the information already collected by the boards on applications for licensure. Under this new program, certain health regulatory boards are required to collect the information from each individual who applies for licensure as a pharmacist or pharmacy technician, and pay a fee of $5 to the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) for each licensee upon renewal. For the Board of Pharmacy, the pharmacists and pharmacy technicians total more than 10,000 individuals combined.
This revenue collected from the health regulatory boards by DHS is designated for the specific purpose of data analysis.
The new law says that a license may not be issued unless the applicant furnishes the requested information to the Board. The Board is looking into how the data can be collected either on the application form, through a separate survey, or by some other cost effective method.
Further information and specific instructions will be provided with application forms. Watch the Board’s Web site for more information on this project.
Another new program fee is the Electronic Prescription Drug Monitoring Fund fee of $25 per year per licensee. Under the law, this new fee will be assessed annually from each practitioner licensed and authorized to prescribe controlled substances in the state and from each individual licensed and authorized to dispense controlled substances in the state.
The prescription monitoring program was adopted by the 2009 Oregon legislature and will be funded by this fee payment from prescribers and dispensers. It is important to note that this program, which requires pharmacies to submit their controlled substance prescription dispensing records weekly, was established within the DHS. Under the current law, the Board of Pharmacy has no responsibility for the implementation or operation of the program.
The Board’s only responsibility under the program is to collect the fee from individuals authorized to dispense controlled substances in Oregon (pharmacists), and send the proceeds to DHS. Visit the Board’s Web site for more information on this program.
The Board will be providing information on these and other new activities at the various continuing education programs around the state, as well as on the Board’s Web site and in this quarterly Newsletter.
