You asked for a brief summary of Proposed Substitute Bill 504, An Act Concerning the Reporting of Prescription Errors and Requiring Certain Continuing Education for Pharmacists.

SUMMARY

The proposed substitute bill requires each pharmacy to establish a quality assurance program designed to detect and prevent prescription errors. The bill defines prescription errors as an act or omission of clinical significance relating to the dispensing of a drug that results in, or may reasonably be expected to, result in injury to or death of a patient. In addition, the bill requires each pharmacy to post signs and include notices in prescription packaging informing consumers of a way to report prescription errors.

QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAMS

The bill requires the consumer protection commissioner to adopt regulations, with the Pharmacy Commission's advice and assistance, to require:

1. each pharmacy to implement a quality assurance program designed to detect, identify, and prevent prescription errors;

2. each such program to have written policies and procedures;

3. the policies to require the pharmacy to report the errors to the prescribing practitioner, the patient, the patient's caregiver or appropriate family member if the patient is deceased or unable to comprehend;

4. the error report to include ways of correcting or mitigating the error; and

5. records to be kept in the pharmacy for at least three years and available to inspection by the consumer protection commissioner.

The bill defines "prescription error" to mean an act or omission of clinical significance relating to the dispensing of a drug that results in, or may reasonably be expected to, result in injury to or death of a patient.

REQUIRED SIGN

The bill requires each pharmacy to post an eight by ten inch sign in a conspicuous location stating, "If you have a concern that an error may have occurred in the dispensing of your prescription you may contact the Department of Consumer Protection, Drug Control Division, by calling [DCP's toll-free number].

REQUIRED NOTICE

The bill requires pharmacies to include in each bag or packaging a notice containing the information that must be on the sign.

DD: ro