CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill No. 1254

Introduced by Senator Stone

February 15, 2018

An act to add Section 4118.5 to the Business and Professions Code, relating to healing arts.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


SB 1254, as introduced, Stone. Hospital pharmacies: medication profiles for high-risk patients.
Existing law, the Pharmacy Law, a willful violation of which is a misdemeanor, provides for the licensure and regulation of pharmacists, intern pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacies by the California State Board of Pharmacy. Existing regulatory law requires a pharmacy to maintain medication profiles on all patients who have prescriptions filled at that pharmacy, except under specified circumstances.
This bill would require a pharmacist at a hospital pharmacy to obtain an accurate medication profile for each high-risk patient upon admission and discharge of the patient. The bill would authorize an intern pharmacist or a pharmacy technician to perform that function if the intern pharmacist or pharmacy technician has successfully completed training and proctoring by a pharmacist and where a quality assurance program is used to monitor competency. The bill would require the board to adopt regulations specifying the training and proctoring required to be completed.
By expanding the scope of a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: YES  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 4118.5 is added to the Business and Professions Code, to read:

4118.5.
 (a) At a hospital pharmacy, a pharmacist shall obtain an accurate medication profile for each high-risk patient upon admission and discharge of the patient. A pharmacy technician or a pharmacy intern may perform this function if the pharmacy technician or pharmacy intern has successfully completed training and proctoring by a pharmacist and where a quality assurance program is used to monitor competency.
(b) The board shall adopt regulations specifying the training and proctoring required to be completed pursuant to this section.

SEC. 2.

 No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.