ARC 1308C
PHARMACY BOARD[657]
Adopted and Filed
Pursuant to the authority of Iowa Code section 147.76, the Board of Pharmacy hereby amends Chapter 6, “General Pharmacy Practice,” and Chapter 7, “Hospital Pharmacy Licenses,” Iowa Administrative Code.
The amendments clarify that, when the pharmacist is not present, a pharmacy is closed and shall be secured from public access. The amendments further require that if the pharmacist in charge of a pharmacy has authorized one or more pharmacy technicians or pharmacy support persons to be present in the pharmacy when the pharmacy is closed, the technician or support person shall prepare and maintain a log identifying each period the individual worked in the pharmacy while the pharmacy was closed and identifying each activity performed during that time period. The log shall be dated and signed by the individual preparing each entry, and the pharmacist in charge shall periodically review the log. The amendments clarify that a pharmacy technician or pharmacy support person working in a pharmacy when the pharmacy is closed may not dispense or deliver any drug, chemical, device, or prepared prescription to a patient or patient’s agent.
Requests for waiver or variance of the discretionary provisions of these rules will be considered pursuant to 657—Chapter 34.
Notice of Intended Action was published in the October 2, 2013, Iowa Administrative Bulletin as ARC 1040C. The Board received no written comments regarding the proposed amendments. The adopted amendments are identical to those published under Notice.
The amendments were approved during the January 14, 2014, meeting of the Board of Pharmacy.
After analysis and review of this rule making, no impact on jobs has been found.
These amendments are intended to implement Iowa Code sections 155A.13 and 155A.33.
These amendments will become effective on March 12, 2014.
The following amendments are adopted.
	Item 1. Amend subrule 6.7(2) as follows:
	6.7(2) Temporary absence of pharmacist. In the temporary absence of the pharmacist, only the pharmacist in charge may designate pharmacy technicians or pharmacy support persons who may be present in the prescription department to perform technical or nontechnical functions, respectively, designated by the pharmacist in charge. Activities identified in subrule 6.7(3) may not be performed during such temporary absence of the pharmacist. A temporary absence is an absence of short duration not to exceed two hours.
	a.	In the absence of the pharmacist, the pharmacy shall be secured from public access and the pharmacy shall notify the public that the pharmacist is temporarily absent and that no prescriptions will be dispensed until the pharmacist returns. If the pharmacist in charge has authorized the presence in the pharmacy of a pharmacy technician or a pharmacy support person to perform designated functions when the pharmacy is closed, the pharmacy technician or the pharmacy support person may not dispense or deliver any drug, chemical, device, or prepared prescription to a patient or patient’s agent.
	b. 	A pharmacy technician or a pharmacy support person who is present in the pharmacy when the pharmacy is closed shall prepare and maintain in the pharmacy a log identifying each period of time that the pharmacy technician or pharmacy support person worked in the pharmacy while the pharmacy was closed and identifying each activity performed during that time period. Each entry shall be dated, and each daily record shall be signed by the pharmacy technician or pharmacy support person who prepared the record. The log shall be periodically reviewed by the pharmacist in charge.
	Item 2. Amend subrule 7.6(2) as follows:
	7.6(2) Access when pharmacist absent. When the pharmacist is absent from the facility, the pharmacy is closed and shall be secured from public access. Policies and procedures shall be established that identify who will have access to the pharmacy when the pharmacy is closed and the procedures to be followed for obtaining drugs, devices, and chemicals to fill an emergent need during the pharmacist’s absence.
	a.  to d.  No change.
[Filed 1/16/14, effective 3/12/14]
[Published 2/5/14]
Editor’s Note: For replacement pages for IAC, see IAC Supplement 2/5/14.