On-site Pharmacist Requirement

Although not a common occurrence, The Compliance Team recently observed, instances of pharmacies that did not have a pharmacist on-site for the times that the pharmacy was open. This is a clear violation of state Board of Pharmacy regulations as well as The Compliance Team’s quality standards for Pharmacy accreditation. Activities listed in the standards cannot be performed by anyone other than a pharmacist.

Violation of the pharmacist on-site standard may mean that your pharmacy is placing your license at risk, or worse.

Standards related to this Pharmacist Requirement:

DRG 1.0 The organization must have pharmaceutical services that meet the needs of the patients.

DRG 2.0 Pharmacy services are provided by, or under the direction and supervision, of a qualified pharmacist.

DRG 3.0 The organization has a licensed Pharmacist in Charge that has the authority and responsibility for the overall management of the pharmacy organization.

DRG 8.0 The licensed prescription area of a pharmacy may not be open without a licensed pharmacist on duty at all times.

REG 1.0 The organization is in compliance with all local, State, and Federal regulatory agencies and has the legal authority to operate.

If you have more than one pharmacy or plan to open a new pharmacy, be sure to budget for at least one full-time pharmacist at each location. An alternative option (depending on your state regulations) is to expand into TelePharmacy.

TelePharmacy is a means of delivering pharmacist-related services (i.e., dispensing medications, patient counseling, drug therapy monitoring) via teleconferencing, video conferencing and specialized TelePharmacy software. The remote dispensing site must have one or more certified pharmacy technicians on staff who work independently and coordinate with a licensed pharmacist.

If you have questions about our pharmacy services standards (and evidence of compliance) or if you want to learn more about TelePharmacy, call The Compliance Team now. Also, be sure to watch our video on TelePharmacy.

Info@thecomplianceteam.org
215-654-9110