STAND. COM. REP. NO.2817

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2002

RE: S.B. No. 2087

S.D. 2

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 2087, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE PRACTICE OF PHARMACY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to redefine the scope of pharmaceutical practice to allow pharmacists to provide services in a broader range of settings.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Board of Pharmacy, Department of Health, Healthcare Association of Hawaii, Hawaii Medical Service Association, Hawaii Pharmacists Association, Hawaii Primary Care Association, Times Pharmacy, Longs Drugs, Kaiser Permanente, American Pharmaceutical Association, and fifty individuals. The Board of Medical Examiners, Hawaii Medical Association, and an individual opposed the measure.

This measure recognizes the dynamic nature of the health care environment by authorizing pharmacists to practice outside of pharmacies and acute care hospitals in collaborative agreements with health care professionals, provided the pharmacist has been appropriately trained. This measure will enable pharmacists to provide drug education in more appropriate and confidential settings, reduce the risk of adverse drug reaction through early detection, help contain health care costs through improved medication use and monitoring, and promote positive medication outcomes. This measure does not provide pharmacists with prescriptive authority.

Your Committee has amended this measure to incorporate changes agreed to by the Hawaii Pharmacists Association and Hawaii Medical Association. As amended, this measure:

(1) Clarifies that a pharmacist must have appropriate training recognized by the Board of Pharmacy in order to administer drugs;

(2) Requires a pharmacist who administers immunizations by injection to have appropriate training recognized by the Board of Pharmacy, and limits the administration of injections to adults;

(3) Provides that a pharmacist may only initiate or adjust a patient's drug regimen if authorized by written instructions from the patient's licensed medical doctor; and

(4) Has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further review and discussion of this issue.

Your Committee has also amended this by making technical, nonsubstantive changes to reflect preferred drafting style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2087, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2087, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing,

____________________________

RON MENOR, Chair