Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Pharmacy Remote Work topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee advances bill allowing rulemaking for remote pharmacy technicians to address staffing shortages
Summary
House Bill 358 was reported as amended to let the State Board of Pharmacy create rules for remote pharmacy technicians; supporters said remote work could retain technicians and aid rural pharmacies while pharmacists retain final verification duties.
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee reported House Bill 358 as amended, allowing the State Board of Pharmacy to promulgate rules that would permit pharmacy technicians to perform certain nonfinal, nonclinical tasks from locations outside the physical pharmacy under pharmacist supervision.
Sponsor Chairman Miller said research showed about 25 states allow some remote work for pharmacy technicians and that the bill would let the board develop rules rather than codifying technical requirements in statute. Christopher Lagrange, a licensed pharmacist and accreditation lead, described live dashboards and monitoring systems that allow supervising pharmacists to track technicians’ work and intervene if needed. He said technicians would not perform final verification; “everything still goes through me for the final verification step,” he told the committee.
Rural pharmacy owners told the committee they face technician shortages and that remote data-entry and insurance-processing work could help retain skilled technicians. Steve Cobb of CRX Pharmacy in Natchitoches said his area had only 52 certified technicians with 38 employed and several open positions.
The committee adopted an amendment clarifying that “remote” means work at a location separate from the pharmacy and directing the board to promulgate rules; Senator Boudreau moved to report the bill as amended and the committee reported it favorable by voice consent.
