Committee backs bill authorizing physician‑pharmacist collaborative practice agreements

Summary

A Medical Affairs Subcommittee voted to report S.449 favorably after testimony from pharmacists and clinicians who said collaborative practice agreements would formalize existing collaborative care, expand access in rural areas, and provide a regulatory basis for delegated medication management tasks.

The Medical Affairs Subcommittee reported S.449 favorably after testimony that the bill would authorize written collaborative practice agreements between licensed pharmacists and physicians that delegate evidence‑based medication management and related patient care tasks.

Proponents told the committee the bill is permissive and intended to create statutory authority so the Board of Pharmacy and the State Board of Medical Examiners can promulgate regulations defining what tasks may be delegated. "This legislation is crucial to ensuring patients continue to receive high quality coordinated care," South Carolina Pharmacy Association CEO Bridal Clark said in testimony, adding that the measure would restore an authority that had been removed when a prior board policy was rescinded.

The bill defines a collaborative…

Committee backs bill authorizing physician‑pharmacist collaborative practice agreements

Summary

Subscribe to keep reading