Board directs staff to begin rulemaking to let hospital PICs set pharmacist‑to‑technician ratios
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Summary
The board initiated rulemaking to amend the inpatient pharmacist‑to‑technician ratio, moving away from a fixed 1:2 and allowing hospital PICs more flexibility under CCR §17.93.7; members discussed slide numbering errors and confirmed the correct regulatory citation before voting.
The Board of Pharmacy voted to initiate rulemaking to amend California Code of Regulations Title 16, section 17.93.7 to allow greater flexibility in setting pharmacist‑to‑pharmacy‑technician ratios in the inpatient/hospital setting.
Board staff said the current regulation fixes the ratio at 1:2 for the inpatient setting; the proposed approach would allow the hospital pharmacist‑in‑charge to determine an appropriate ratio consistent with the PIC's delegation authority used in community pharmacies. The materials include proposed regulatory language and non‑substantive edits to update department names.
Members discussed slide numbering and typographical confusion on the public slides before confirming the correct section number for the motion. Renee proposed the motion to initiate rulemaking and members debated whether the item should return to committee for more refinement or be delegated to staff and members for final edits. The board authorized staff to proceed with the rulemaking process and delegated editorial/technical adjustments to the executive officer.
When called, members recorded support and the motion passed. The board directed staff to submit the rulemaking package for standard departmental review.