HB553 Alabama 2012 Session

Under existing law, hospitals and skilled nursing homes may use machines or mechanical devices for the storage and dispensing of prescription drugs. The machines are required to be stocked under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist and dispensed in accordance with institutional hospital policy. Also, under existing law, many nursing homes use off-site pharmacies to dispense prescription drugs and the drugs are then delivered and stored in the medicine or drug room at the nursing home

This bill would specify that prescription drugs may be stored in a machine, mechanical device, or other automated pharmacy system unit at a nursing home and dispensed on-site under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist who may be located at an off-site pharmacy. The drugs would be stored in the medicine or drug room of the nursing home and dispensed in individual sealed containers for each patient. The bill would define and regulate the automated pharmacy systems used for the purposes of this act. The use of the term "skilled" in relation to a nursing home would be deleted to conform to existing law

To amend Section 34-23-74 of the Code of Alabama 1975, relating to hospital and other institutional pharmacies; to specify that machines, mechanical devices, or other dispensing units may be used to dispense prescription drugs in individualized sealed doses of a drug or drugs for a patient under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist who may be located at an off-site pharmacy; and to specifically define and regulate automated pharmacy systems.