1:12 PM, Nov 15, 2012
Now that the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy has
created a task force to study possible new regulations for sterile compounding
in the state, the question becomes how to pay for enforcement, board
members said during their meeting Thursday morning.
Board members were reminded by their legal
counsel that the civil fines assessed to pharmacists who break the rules are
forwarded, by statute, to Tennessee’s general fund. Board staff did not
immediately know how much revenue is generated by those fines.
During their regular discussion of the
board’s finances, members wondered if those fines and their reserves could be
used to help pay for expenses associated with whatever recommendations come from
the newly created task force. The board has a reserve of $85,000 for the current
fiscal year and $929,000 overall.
“We’re going to need resources from
somewhere if we need additional manpower (as a result of new regulations),”
board president Brenda Warren said.
The Board of Pharmacy isn’t the only
agency which has revenue from civil penalties forwarded to the general fund. The
same is true for other professional medical boards as well.
At its Monday meeting, the board voted to
send out a survey to its 1,905 pharmacies to determine the scale and scope of
compounding in the state. Board Executive Director Andrew Holt estimated the
survey could cost between $1,400, if it is sent over regular mail, and $4,000 if
it is sent by certified mail.
The pharmacy board has a budget of $1.7
million this year. Much of that revenue comes from bi-annual licensure fees paid
by pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.
Other possible regulations could also
require adding more more inspectors. Currently the board has five inspectors to
cover 10,321 pharmacists working in 1,905 licensed pharmacies and 706 licensed
wholesalers, manufacturers and distributors.
Contact Nate Rau at 615-259-8094 or nrau@tennessean.com. Follow him on Twitter
@tnnaterau.
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