The Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission (commission) approved the finalized version of the sample ancillary personnel utilization plan (AUP) at the March business meeting. An AUP is a document that pharmacies licensed by the commission must submit for approval, prior to the utilization of pharmacy assistants or pharmacy technicians (RCW 18.64A.040 and RCW 18.64A.060).
The commission has provided the sample AUP as a tool to assist licensees in creating a plan for utilizing its pharmacy personnel. The use of the sample AUP is not required, however, pharmacies may choose to use it as a template and format it to meet their specific practice needs.
The commission filed an expedited rule proposal (CR-105) under WSR 23-05-010 on February 2, 2023 to repeal older sections of WAC, chapter 246-861 WAC and WAC 246-901-061. These WACs contained continuing education requirements (CE) for licensure under the commission. The current CE requirements are located in WAC 246-945-178 and WAC 246-945-220, effective as of December 1, 2021.
The new CE requirements did not take full effect until December 1, 2022 since the new CE rules correspond with a two-year license cycle. This required the older sections of rule establishing CE standards (WAC 246-861-090 and WAC 246-901-061) be maintained until each pharmacist and pharmacy technician underwent a renewal (i.e., until December 1, 2022).
Per RCW 34.05.353, the filing of the CR-105 begins a public comment period that will end after April 17, 2023. Public comments may be submitted to Haleigh Mauldin, Program Consultant, at PharmacyRules@doh.wa.gov.
The commission also filed a withdrawal request on January 14, 2023 under WSR 23-04-084 for policy statement P002 pertaining to chapter 246-945 WAC (“new WAC”) superseding old WACs. The commission is withdrawing this policy statement because the CE rules contained within WAC 246-945-178 and WAC 246-945-220 went into effect on December 1, 2021. These were the final “new WACs” to go into effect and the policy statement is no longer needed with the repeal of the old CE rules.
RCW 69.50.312 requires that prescriptions for Schedule II through V controlled substances, and refill authorizations for Schedule III through V controlled substances be communicated electronically to pharmacies.
The Washington State Secretary of Health waived this electronic prescribing requirement until January 1, 2022. This requirement is currently in effect, and additional information can be found on the Department of Health’s website. In other words, the electronic prescribing requirement for controlled substances under RCW 69.50.312 is in effect as of January 1, 2022.
Pharmacists should be aware that some prescribers may be exempt from the e-prescribing mandate. RCW 69.50.312(4) states, “A pharmacist who receives a written, oral, or faxed prescription is not required to verify that the prescription properly meets any exemptions under this section. Pharmacists may continue to dispense and deliver medications from otherwise valid written, oral, or faxed prescriptions.”
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