April 2005
South Dakota State Board of Pharmacy
4305 S Louise Ave, Suite 104, Sioux Falls, SD 57106
NEW REGISTERED PHARMACISTS
The following pharmacists were recently registered in South Dakota having satisfactorily met licensure requirements: Helen Teklay and Michelle Tuohy.
PHARMACY LICENSES
Pharmacy licenses issued during the past quarter went to: Linda McCulloch, Pharmacist-in-Charge, HyVee Pharmacy #1039, Brookings (change of ownership); and Jerry Hill, Pharmacist-in-Charge, Lewis Family Drug #66, Beresford (change of ownership).
REGISTERED PHARMACY TECHNICIAN
"Registered pharmacy technician," is defined in SDCL 36-11-2(22A) as a person registered by the board who is employed by a pharmacy to assist licensed pharmacists in the practice of pharmacy by performing specific tasks delegated by and under the immediate personal supervision and control of a licensed pharmacist, as permitted by the board.
Be sure to review new regulation SDCL 36-11-29 at http://pharmacy.sd.gov. Each pharmacy utilizing pharmacy technicians shall develop, implement and review written policies and procedures for training and utilizing pharmacy technicians appropriate to the practice of pharmacy. The technician and pharmacist-in-charge must notify the Board of any changes in technician status within 10 days. The Board’s inspectors will be checking for compliance.
The South Dakota Board of Pharmacy uses this newsletter as an official method to keep pharmacists aware of changes and updates to current regulations. The Board would like to remind pharmacists of their responsibilities to know and follow laws that regulate pharmacy practice.
From time to time this newsletter will republish articles because of requests or the need to reach pharmacists who have questions or want clarification of the regulations.
Q: How long do I have to dispense the remaining portion of a partially filled C-II controlled substance prescription?
A: The remaining portion may be dispensed within 72 hours of the first dispensing. No further quantity may be supplied beyond the 72 hours except on a new prescription.
Q: How long can I re-dispense C-III, C-IV, and C-V prescriptions?
A: Prescription orders for C-III, C-IV, and C-V may be issued either orally, in writing, by fax, or by email from a practitioner known to the pharmacist. Controlled substance prescriptions of C-III, C-IV, and C-V shall be verified by phone if emailed. Controlled substance prescriptions may not be dispensed or re-dispensed more than six months after issued, or be refilled more than five times after the issue date.
After refilling a prescription order for any controlled substance in Schedules C-III, C-IV or C-V, the pharmacist must enter his or her initials, the date the prescription order was refilled, and the amount of drug dispensed on such refills. The original controlled substance prescription must be filed as a hard copy and be available for inspection. Refill information of the original prescription may be carried in the computer record and must be available for inspection.
If the pharmacist merely initials and dates the prescription order, the pharmacist is indicating they have dispensed the full face amount of the original prescription order.
Partial dispensing of prescription orders of C-III, C-IV, and C-V are permitted. The pharmacist must set forth the quantity dispensed and initial the prescription order. Partial dispensing may not exceed the total amount authorized and all refills must be within the six-month limit.
Q: Can Schedule II controlled substance prescriptions be faxed?
A: Schedule II controlled substance prescriptions can only be faxed directly from the prescriber to a home infusion pharmacy to be compounded for direct administration to a home infusion patient. The facsimile serves as the original written prescription.
A prescription written for a Schedule II substance for a long-term care patient or a hospice patient may transmitted directly from the prescriber office by a prescriber, or for the prescriber by the prescriber’s agent, to the provider pharmacy by facsimile. The facsimile serves as the original written prescription.
A long-term care patient’s nurse may fax a C-II prescription to a pharmacy provider if all requirements of a written prescription are met, including the prescriber signature. The nurse or physician agent must identify themselves as the person who faxed the prescription.
Q: How soon must I notify the Board of Pharmacy office of changes in work place, residence, phone number, mailing address, or name change?
A: Preferably, as soon as possible, so that all records may be updated.
Q: How soon must a pharmacist-in-charge notify the Board of a change in employment?
A: The pharmacist-in-charge shall notify the Board office immediately upon knowledge of termination of employment. A new pharmacist-in-charge shall be designated by the employer and the Board office informed within ten working days.
Q: Does change in ownership or location need to be reported to the Secretary of the Board, and how soon?
A: Any change in the location of a pharmacy, any change in ownership, or cessation of business of a pharmacy shall be reported to the Secretary of the Board of Pharmacy within ten days of such occurrence. The pharmacist-in-charge shall be held responsible for reporting such changes to the Board Secretary.
Q: In the event of the death of the pharmacist permittee is the pharmacy permit valid?
A: The Board permits the license to continue for 120 days after the death of a permittee, unless a transfer of that license is complete within the 120-day period.
Q: What do I need to do if I must temporarily be absent from the pharmacy?
A: If the pharmacist is temporarily absent from the pharmacy but in the same building, the pharmacist shall display a sign bearing the words “pharmacy services closed”. If the pharmacist is to be gone longer than a noon lunch break, the pharmacist permittee shall not leave the pharmacy department in charge of a non-pharmacist employee or staff member until the pharmacist has first closed and locked all entrance to the prescription department.
Q: Who may have keys to the pharmacy?
A: Staffing and security of the prescription area is the responsibility of all pharmacists when working. The pharmacist-in-charge is responsible for the overall management of the pharmacy.
When there is no pharmacist present in the prescription area, all entrances shall be locked to prevent unauthorized access to the pharmacy. Only the pharmacist-in-charge (PIC) or staff pharmacists may be in possession of keys or access codes when there is no pharmacist on duty. When a pharmacist is on duty, only pharmacists or non-pharmacist personnel designated by the PIC may have keys or access codes. Any security system deviating from these requirements must be approved by the Board prior to implementation. Requests for such approval shall be in writing and provide a detailed description of the proposed system. If such a system is approved by the Board, a written description of the system, as approved, must be maintained in the pharmacy.
The PIC and each pharmacist while on duty must be responsible for the security of the prescription area, including provisions for adequate safeguards against theft or diversion of drugs and theft, alteration, or forging of pharmacy records.
It has been brought to the Board’s attention that a number of pharmacies, especially part-time pharmacies, have established procedures whereby the pharmacy keys have been given to unauthorized pharmacy employees that have access to the pharmacy when no pharmacist is in the building.
The South Dakota Board of Pharmacy permits only one designated licensed nurse supervisor per shift to have access to the pharmacy in hospitals that do not have continuous pharmacy services. This would allow a starter dose of medication to be removed when there is no pharmacist on duty. This procedure is outlined in ARSD 20:51:15:13.
It has also been brought to the Board’s attention that some smaller part-time pharmacies have inadequate pharmacist coverage of service and that the PIC is permitting the pharmacy to be accessed and operated by a technician while the pharmacist is absent. The Board will not tolerate this abuse of the pharmacy permit and is investigating at this time.
The Board is saying that only authorized pharmacists or the designated nurse supervisor in a hospital, and no other person, shall have access to the pharmacy area by any means when no pharmacist is on duty
