Therapeutic alternate drug selections in nursing homes, performance of patient services by a pharmacist, and the practice of pharmacy

This bill allows the quality assessment and assurance committee of a nursing facility to establish written guidelines or procedures for making therapeutic alternate drug selections for certain purposes if the committee members include a pharmacist. This bill also allows a nursing home, as defined under state law, that does not otherwise maintain a quality assessment and assurance committee under the federal law requirement for nursing facilities, to maintain a committee consisting of the director of nursing services, a physician, a pharmacist, and at least two other members of the nursing home staff. If the nursing home establishes a committee consisting of those members, the committee may establish written guidelines or procedures for making therapeutic alternate drug selections in accordance with the provisions created in the bill.

The bill also adds to the definition of the practice of pharmacy, allowing a pharmacist to make therapeutic alternate drug selections in accordance with written guidelines or procedures previously established by a committee of a nursing facility or nursing home that includes the required membership, as described above. Under the bill, the use of the therapeutic alternate drug selection must have also been approved for a patient during the period of the patient's stay within the nursing facility or nursing home by the patient's personal attending physician; the patient's physician assistant, if the physician assistant is under the supervision of the patient's personal attending physician; or the patient's advanced practice nurse prescriber, if the advanced practice nurse prescriber has entered into a written agreement to collaborate with the patient's personal attending physician.