State law enhances pharmacy practice
Legislation effective Aug. 1 in Minnesota promises to substantially advance the clinical opportunities of pharmacists wishing to be directly involved with patient care.
Passed as a collaborative practice agreement approach between pharmacists and physicians, the Pharmacy Practice Act will allow pharmacists to administer initial doses of patient medication, monitor and adjust drug regimens, assess and react to laboratory tests, and administer drugs in emergency situations. The law would not allow pharmacists to change a patient’s prescription.
Most of the clinical duties would be allowed after a physician refers a patient to a pharmacist for follow-up or ongoing drug therapy. The law applies to community, retail, and hospital pharmacists.
"The new law will allow pharmacists to do more for the patient and use their expertise in badly needed areas such as identifying drug interactions and side effects and giving counseling on the best way to use medications," says Julie Johnson, chair of the Pharmacy Practice Act Task Force, which lobbied for the new law. She adds that another expected benefit of the law will be decreased numbers of office visits, which could help lower the cost of health care.
Task force members included the Minnesota Pharmacists Association, the Minnesota Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, the state pharmacy board, and the Minnesota College of Clinical Pharmacists.
[For more information, contact the Minnesota Pharmacists Association at (651) 697-1771.]
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