Saturday, August 31, 2013

New Law in Vermont Relating to Pharmacy-Act 75


New Laws for Vermont
In response to seemingly increased opioid addiction and methamphetamine abuse in the state, the 2013 Vermont Gen- eral Assembly passed and Governor Peter Shumlin signed Act 75. The act was formerly known as H.522 (House Bill 522).
There are several provisions that affect the practice of pharmacy and pharmacists in the state of Vermont. It is the responsibility of all pharmacists to be familiar with the law, conversant with it, and to abide by its provisions in the course of their practice of the profession.
All prescriptions for regulated drugs shall be made to the order of an individual patient, dated as of the day of issue, and signed by the prescriber. The prescription shall bear the full name, address, and date of birth of the patient. In the event the prescription is for an animal, the name and address of the owner of the animal and the species of the animal.
All prescriptions shall also bear the full name, address, and registry number of the prescriber. If the prescription is written, it shall be in ink, indelible pencil, or typewritten and shall be signed by the prescriber. A written prescription for a controlled substance (CS) shall contain the quantity of the drug written both in numeric and word form.
Only a patient for whom a prescription was written, the owner of an animal for which a prescription was written, or a bona fide representative of the patient or animal owner may pick up a prescription for a Schedule II, III, or IV CS. Prior to dispensing a Schedule II, III, or IV CS, a pharmacist shall require the individual receiving the drug to provide a signature and show valid and current government-issued photographic identification as evidence that the individual is the patient for whom the prescription was written, the owner of the ani- mal for which the prescription was written, or the bona fide representative of the patient or animal owner. If the patient does not have valid, current government-issued photographic identification, the pharmacist may request alternative evidence of the individual’s identity, as appropriate.
The legislation requires the Vermont Board of Pharmacy to adopt rules to define which persons shall be considered bona fide representatives of a patient. To that end, the Board has proposed the following rule definitions.
“Bona fide representative of a patient” as referred to in 18 V.S.A. §4201(26) means an individual who is authorized by law or known to the patient and authorized by the patient to receive drugs dispensed by prescription for the patient.
“Bona fide representative of an animal owner” as referred to in 18 V.S.A. §4201(26) means the owner of an animal or a person authorized by the owner to receive drugs dispensed by prescription for the animal.
“Alternative evidence of the individual’s identity” as referred to in 18 V.S.A. §4201(26) means documents that reasonably permit a pharmacist to conclude that the individual is who he or she purports to be.
The adoption of the aforementioned proposed definitions will be part of a public hearing the Board will hold on Wednes- day, October 2, 2013.
quoted from the Vermont Board of Pharmacy September 2013 Newsletter 

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