Committee narrows collaborative pharmacy practice by excluding complex cardiac conditions from pharmacist protocols

Senator Harrell presented Senate Bill 294 to the Senate Committee on Health Policy, saying the legislation would prevent the Board of Pharmacy from adding “heart failure, coronary heart disease, [and] cardiac rhythm disorders” to the list of chronic conditions eligible for collaborative pharmacy practice agreements (CPPA).

Harrell said the original 2020 law enabling collaborative agreements allowed pharmacists, in collaboration with physicians, to manage certain chronic conditions where routine medication adjustments are appropriate. Over time, the Board of Pharmacy, in consultation with the Board of Medicine, has added conditions by rule. SB 294 would place statutory limits on those additions for complex cardiac conditions that, the sponsor and medical witnesses argued, require physician decision‑making and specialized care.

Dr. Alan Ackerman, chair of the advocacy committee for the Florida chapter of the American College of Cardiology and a board‑certified cardiologist, testified in support. Ackerman said heart failure and chronic coronary disease “are among the leading causes of morbidity and hospitalization” and require “years of formative medical education” and ongoing specialist management; he noted heart failure had been excluded from the original statute and the Board of Pharmacy had attempted to add it by rule.

Supporters including the Florida Chapter of the American College of Cardiology, the Florida Medical Association and the Florida Society of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons waived or offered supportive testimony. The committee reported SB 294 favorably by roll call; the transcript records, “By your vote, Senate Bill 294 is reported favorably.”