October 2006
South Dakota State Board of Pharmacy
4305 S Louise Ave, Suite 104, Sioux Falls, SD 57106
NEW REGISTERED PHARMACISTS
The following candidates recently met licensure requirements and were registered as pharmacists in South Dakota: Casey Arends, Michele Berry, Bruce Cornish, Christopher Davison, Carole Douglas, Lindsey Fast, Daniel Fiebelkorn, Todd Fine, Dawn Fokken, Jesse Gabel, Kristen Goeser, Amy Williams Green, Annie Hegg, Brooke Imus, Margaret Kallemeyn, Tamara Louwagie, Christopher Marquardt, Bethany Mettlin, Gretchen Riggert, Marian Roberts, Kimberle Roskeland, Melissa Soukup, Susan Spooner, Karen Stainbrook, Tasha Standing Soldier, Crystal Truax, Christina Weber, and Veronica West.
PHARMACY LICENSES
A new pharmacy license was recently issued to Carrie Gerdeman, Walgreens #19512, 1125 North LaCrosse, Rapid City, South Dakota.
New licenses were issued to the following due to changes in ownership: Curtis Rising, CSRX dba The Medicine Shoppe, 1304 Mt. Rushmore Road, Rapid City, SD; and Mark Gerdes, Omnicare of South Dakota, 709 N. Kiwanis, Sioux Falls, SD.
DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION (DEA)
The Board of Pharmacy works closely with the DEA and South Dakota Department of Health—Health and Medical Services Division to prevent diversion of controlled and non-controlled prescriptions.
Recently, the DEA has launched a toll-free international hotline to report the illegal sale and abuse of pharmaceutical drugs. People can provide anonymous telephone tips about diversion of prescription drugs into the illegal market by individuals or suspicious internet pharmacies. In addition, such information can be reported on-line through the DEA web site.
According to DEA administration, people in the United States and Mexico have an anonymous, safe, and free way to bring information about suspected illegal pharmaceutical distribution to the DEA. This information will greatly assist the DEA to bring drug dealers to justice and prevent the tragedies that come from prescription drug abuse.
The DEA is particularly interested in hearing from families where loved ones have overdosed or died as a result of obtaining pharmaceuticals over the internet. Tips including the web site addresses will help put these pill pushers out of business. Anonymous reports can be taken by calling 1-877-792-2873 or reporting on-line at www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov and clicking on a link and filling out an electronic form. The hotline will be staffed by bilingual operators around the clock, 365 days a year.
FRAUDULENT PRESCRIPTIONS
If you receive a prescription and, after reasonable inquiry, suspect the prescription is forged, altered, fraudulently misrepresented such as false name, or the prescription transaction is not in accordance with pharmacy law, report such prescriptions to the South Dakota State Board of Pharmacy (605-362-2737). Controlled substance prescriptions can be reported to Bob Coolidge with the Department of Health, Health and Medical Services Division (605-773-3356).
Pharmacists are reminded to verify DEA numbers by the following calculation:
Add the first, third and fifth numbers to get your first number
Then add the second, fourth and sixth numbers and multiply by two to get your second number
Total the two numbers and the last digit of this sum will be the same as the last digit of the DEA number.
RULES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT
Chapter 20:51:16 addresses rules that every pharmacist should follow when practicing pharmacy. ARSD 20:51:16:03 addresses the pharmacist’s relation to the public and these rules are very straight forward.
Safeguarding the public means using every precaution from labeling correctly, dispensing the right product, to providing counseling to the patient.
When dispensing prescriptions, pharmacists are reminded to ask the proper questions. When a prescription is called in or transferred from another pharmacy, be sure and check for identification, especially when someone other than the patient is picking up the prescription. Confirm that they have legitimate authority from the patient, and are a relative or caregiver.
There are cases where prescription numbers are called in for refill for controlled and other prescriptions and picked up by someone impersonating the patient or patient’s family. Fraudulent schemes are used to gain access to prescription medication by individuals with drug addictions or with criminal intent to distribute.
Pharmacists must safeguard the public and our community’s drug supply. This is what professional pharmacists are expected to do.
FROM THE INSPECTORS
Pharmacists: Please keep your technicians and support personnel ( i.e. clerks, delivery persons, data entry persons, etc.) informed. Make sure they are aware of the laws and rules regarding their duties (ARSD 20:51:29). Also, the pharmacy must ensure that the public is able to distinguish all technicians, support personnel and interns from the pharmacists. Identification/name tags must be worn (see ARSD 20:51:29:17 & 18). Staff must identify themselves on any phone call initiated or received while performing functions in the pharmacy (i.e. “Jones Drug, this is Amy, Pharmacy Technician”; “Good Morning, Smith Pharmacy, John, Pharmacy Intern”, etc.)
Technician Training: The pharmacist-in-charge is responsible for developing an appropriate training program for technicians and maintaining proper documentation of that training for each technician. When technicians who have worked in another pharmacy are hired they still need to be trained for the duties they will perform in your pharmacy. During the routine SD Board of Pharmacy inspections the inspectors will be checking for appropriate policies and procedures for technician training and proper documentation of that training (see ARSD 20:51:29:16).
Technician Registration Renewal: Current technician registrations expire on October 31, 2006. Renewal forms for technician registration were mailed to each pharmacy during September. Please help to make sure each of your technicians submits the renewal properly and on time. This form can be printed from the SD Board of Pharmacy web site www.state.sd.us/doh/pharmacy.
PRACTITIONER’S USE OF A HOSPITAL’S DEA REGISTRATION NUMBER
An individual practitioner who is an agent or employee of a hospital or other institution may, when acting in the usual course of business or employment, administer, dispense or prescribe controlled substances under the registration of the hospital or other institution in which he or she is employed, provided that:
AB1234567-012 |
|
Hospital |
Physician’s |
| DEA Registration Number |
Hospital Code
Number |
Interns, resident physicians, staff physicians, midlevel practitioners may not use the hospital DEA registration numbers outside of the hospital setting and therefore are encouraged to register for their own personal DEA numbers.
PRESCRIBER PRIVILEGES
The South Dakota Board of Pharmacy has had many calls regarding the status of prescriptions written by physicians who have their license under investigation.
A practitioner retains all prescribing privileges until formal disciplinary action has made a change in those privileges. This generally is the result of court or Medical Board action that results in a signed stipulation with the Medical Board and prescriber. When final action occurs, the Board of Pharmacy will see to it that this information is distributed to pharmacies in South Dakota.
As always, pharmacists must use their professional judgment to determine whether or not a prescription has been issued in good faith for a legitimate medical purpose. If you have questions, please call the board office, do not follow rumors..
