Committee hears broad support for bill expanding pharmacist patient-care services; SB 147 held for further consideration

Senate Health and Social Services Committee members heard multiple supporters of Senate Bill 147, a bill to expand pharmacist-provided patient care services, during an April 20 committee hearing in Juneau. The committee closed testimony and held the bill for further consideration; no final committee vote was taken.

Sponsor comments framed SB 147 as a limited expansion of pharmacists' authority within existing professional training and standards. "It does not expand pharmacist authority beyond the services that they are well trained to perform," sponsor Senator Giesel told the committee, adding that the bill would not authorize pharmacists to prescribe abortion-inducing medications and that Alaska statute AS 18.16.010 remains unchanged.

The committee received several pieces of supportive testimony from practicing pharmacists, pharmacy students and association representatives. Eric Holland, a pharmacy student in a joint program with Idaho State University, said Alaska lacks an in-state pharmacy program and urged passage so newly trained pharmacists can practice to the scope of their education. Amy Young, a pharmacist with nearly 20 years licensed experience, recounted establishing a walk-in immunization clinic and collaborating in team-based, non-opioid pain-management programs. Britney Carnes, a Fairbanks pharmacist, said pharmacists regularly are consulted by other clinicians and asked the committee to allow pharmacists to work within an appropriate scope of practice already used in other states.

Committee members asked whether expanding pharmacist services would affect malpractice insurance. Dr. Ashley Shaber, chair of the Alaska Board of Pharmacy, said many pharmacists personally carry malpractice insurance and many employers also provide coverage; she said employers in states that expanded pharmacist practice had not reported an increase in claims. Dr. Brandy Signa Martin of the Alaska Pharmacy Association added that the association had engaged Pharmacists Mutual, a malpractice insurer, and offered to provide the committee a summary of considerations from insurers.

The committee did not adopt amendments during the hearing. The chair said members should submit planned amendments to the sponsor's office by 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 23. The committee scheduled its next meeting for April 24 at 3:30 p.m., when it plans to introduce other pharmacy-related bills and may continue consideration of SB 147.

The bill remains in committee for further work; no committee report or vote was recorded on April 20.