Senate Bill sb2100c1

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    Florida Senate - 2007                           CS for SB 2100

    By the Committee on Health Regulation; and Senator Peaden





    588-2242-07

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to pharmacy technicians;

  3         amending s. 465.014, F.S.; providing for the

  4         registration of pharmacy technicians; requiring

  5         the Board of Pharmacy to set fees and rules to

  6         register pharmacy technicians; providing

  7         qualification requirements; providing a

  8         limitation; exempting pharmacy technician

  9         students and licensed pharmacy interns from

10         certain registration requirements; providing

11         continuing education requirements for

12         registration renewal; requiring the board to

13         adopt rules; providing grounds for denial,

14         suspension, or revocation of registration or

15         other disciplinary action; authorizing the

16         board to impose certain penalties; requiring

17         the board to adopt rules requiring a pharmacy

18         to notify the board when employing technicians;

19         requiring the board to maintain a directory of

20         technicians and publish the directory on the

21         Internet; amending s. 465.015, F.S.;

22         prohibiting a person who is not registered as a

23         pharmacy technician from performing certain

24         functions or holding himself or herself out to

25         others as a pharmacy technician; amending ss.

26         465.019, 465.0196, and 465.0197, F.S.;

27         conforming references; providing an effective

28         date.

29  

30  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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    Florida Senate - 2007                           CS for SB 2100
    588-2242-07




 1         Section 1.  Section 465.014, Florida Statutes, is

 2  amended to read:

 3         465.014  Pharmacy technician.--

 4         (1)  A No person other than a licensed pharmacist or

 5  pharmacy intern may not engage in the practice of the

 6  profession of pharmacy, except that a licensed pharmacist may

 7  delegate to nonlicensed pharmacy technicians registered

 8  pursuant to this section those duties, tasks, and functions

 9  which do not fall within the purview of s. 465.003(13). All

10  such delegated acts shall be performed under the direct

11  supervision of a licensed pharmacist who shall be responsible

12  for all such acts performed by persons under his or her

13  supervision. A registered pharmacy technician, under the

14  supervision of a pharmacist, may initiate or receive

15  communications with a practitioner or his or her agent, on

16  behalf of a patient, regarding refill authorization requests.

17  A No licensed pharmacist may not shall supervise more than one

18  registered pharmacy technician unless otherwise permitted by

19  the guidelines adopted by the board. The board shall establish

20  guidelines to be followed by licensees or permittees in

21  determining the circumstances under which a licensed

22  pharmacist may supervise up to four registered more than one

23  but not more than three pharmacy technicians.

24         (2)  Any person who wishes to work as a pharmacy

25  technician in this state must register by filing an

26  application with the board on a form adopted by rule of the

27  board. The board shall register each applicant who has

28  remitted a registration fee set by the board, not to exceed

29  $50 biennially; has completed the application form and

30  remitted a nonrefundable application fee set by the board, not

31  to exceed $50; and is at least 16 years of age.

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    Florida Senate - 2007                           CS for SB 2100
    588-2242-07




 1         (3)  A person whose license to practice pharmacy has

 2  been denied, suspended, or restricted for disciplinary

 3  purposes is not eligible to be registered as a pharmacy

 4  technician.

 5         (4)  Notwithstanding the requirements of this section

 6  or any other provision of law, a pharmacy technician student

 7  may be placed in a pharmacy for the purpose of obtaining

 8  practical training required by the body accrediting the

 9  pharmacy technician training program. A pharmacy technician

10  student shall wear identification that indicates his or her

11  student status when performing the functions of a pharmacy

12  technician, and registration under this section is not

13  required.

14         (5)  Notwithstanding the requirements of this section

15  or any other provision of law, a person licensed by the state

16  as a pharmacy intern may be employed as a registered pharmacy

17  technician without paying a registration fee or filing an

18  application with the board to register as a pharmacy

19  technician.

20         (6)  As a condition of registration renewal, a pharmacy

21  technician shall complete 20 hours biennially of continuing

22  education courses approved by the board or the Accreditation

23  Council for Pharmaceutical Education, of which 4 hours must be

24  via live presentation and 2 hours must be related to the

25  prevention of medication errors and pharmacy law.

26         (7)  The board shall adopt rules that require each

27  registration issued by the board under this section to be

28  displayed in such a manner as to make it available to the

29  public and to facilitate inspection by the department and such

30  other rules as necessary to administer the provisions of this

31  section.

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    Florida Senate - 2007                           CS for SB 2100
    588-2242-07




 1         (8)  If the board finds that an applicant for

 2  registration as a pharmacy technician or that a registered

 3  pharmacy technician has committed an act that constitutes

 4  grounds for discipline as set forth in s. 456.072(1) or has

 5  committed an act that constitutes grounds for denial of a

 6  license or disciplinary action as set forth in this chapter,

 7  including an act that constitutes a substantial violation of

 8  s. 456.072(1) or a violation of this chapter which occurred

 9  before the applicant or registrant was registered as a

10  pharmacy technician, the board may enter an order imposing any

11  of the penalties specified in s. 456.072(2) against the

12  applicant or registrant.

13         (9)  The board shall adopt rules requiring and

14  specifying the manner in which a pharmacy shall notify the

15  board when a registered technician is employed or ceases

16  employment with the pharmacy.

17         (10)  The board shall maintain a current directory of

18  registered pharmacy technicians indicating their place of

19  employment and which must be published on the Internet.

20         Section 2.  Paragraph (d) is added to subsection (3) of

21  section 465.015, Florida Statutes, to read:

22         465.015  Violations and penalties.--

23         (3)

24         (d)  It is unlawful for a person who is not registered

25  as a pharmacy technician under this chapter, or who is not

26  otherwise exempt from the requirement to register as a

27  pharmacy technician, to perform the functions of a registered

28  pharmacy technician or hold himself or herself out to others

29  as a person who is registered to perform the functions of a

30  registered pharmacy technician in this state.

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    Florida Senate - 2007                           CS for SB 2100
    588-2242-07




 1         Section 3.  Subsection (5) of section 465.019, Florida

 2  Statutes, is amended to read:

 3         465.019  Institutional pharmacies; permits.--

 4         (5)  All institutional pharmacies shall be under the

 5  professional supervision of a consultant pharmacist, and the

 6  compounding and dispensing of medicinal drugs shall be done

 7  only by a licensed pharmacist. Every institutional pharmacy

 8  that employs or otherwise utilizes registered pharmacy

 9  technicians shall have a written policy and procedures manual

10  specifying those duties, tasks, and functions which a pharmacy

11  technician is allowed to perform.

12         Section 4.  Section 465.0196, Florida Statutes, is

13  amended to read:

14         465.0196  Special pharmacy permits.--Any person

15  desiring a permit to operate a special pharmacy shall apply to

16  the department for a special pharmacy permit. If the board

17  certifies that the application complies with the applicable

18  laws and rules of the board governing the practice of the

19  profession of pharmacy, the department shall issue the permit.

20  No permit shall be issued unless a licensed pharmacist is

21  designated to undertake the professional supervision of the

22  compounding and dispensing of all drugs dispensed by the

23  pharmacy. The licensed pharmacist shall be responsible for

24  maintaining all drug records and for providing for the

25  security of the area in the facility in which the compounding,

26  storing, and dispensing of medicinal drugs occurs. The

27  permittee shall notify the department within 10 days of any

28  change of the licensed pharmacist responsible for such duties.

29  Every permittee that employs or otherwise utilizes pharmacy

30  technicians shall have a written policy and procedures manual

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    Florida Senate - 2007                           CS for SB 2100
    588-2242-07




 1  specifying those duties, tasks, and functions which a

 2  registered pharmacy technician is allowed to perform.

 3         Section 5.  Subsection (1) of section 465.0197, Florida

 4  Statutes, is amended to read:

 5         465.0197  Internet pharmacy permits.--

 6         (1)  Any person desiring a permit to operate an

 7  Internet pharmacy shall apply to the department for an

 8  Internet pharmacy permit. If the board certifies that the

 9  application complies with the applicable laws and rules of the

10  board governing the practice of the profession of pharmacy,

11  the department shall issue the permit. No permit shall be

12  issued unless a licensed pharmacist is designated as the

13  prescription department manager for dispensing medicinal drugs

14  to persons in this state. The licensed pharmacist shall be

15  responsible for maintaining all drug records and for providing

16  for the security of the area in the facility in which the

17  compounding, storing, and dispensing of medicinal drugs to

18  persons in this state occurs. The permittee shall notify the

19  department within 30 days of any change of the licensed

20  pharmacist responsible for such duties. Every permittee that

21  employs or otherwise utilizes registered pharmacy technicians

22  shall have a written policy and procedures manual specifying

23  those duties, tasks, and functions which a registered pharmacy

24  technician is allowed to perform.

25         Section 6.  This act shall take effect January 1, 2009.

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    Florida Senate - 2007                           CS for SB 2100
    588-2242-07




 1          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
 2                         Senate Bill 2100

 3                                 

 4  The committee substitute revises the number of pharmacy
    technicians who may be supervised by a licensed pharmacist to
 5  allow a pharmacist to supervise up to four pharmacy
    technicians under board-approved guidelines. The committee
 6  substitute revises requirements for pharmacy technicians to
    register with the Board of Pharmacy to no longer require such
 7  applicants to submit fingerprints and undergo background
    screening.
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    The committee substitute requires the Board of Pharmacy to
 9  adopt rules to require and specify the manner in which a
    pharmacy must notify the board when a registered technician is
10  employed or ceases employment and requires the Board of
    Pharmacy to maintain a current directory of registered
11  pharmacy technicians which must be published on the Internet.

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