'Remote' pharmacies plan gets state senate committee ok

Florida's Senate Health Policy Committee gave unanimous approval on February 6 to legislation to allow the creation of "remote dispensing site pharmacies" and enable managed-care plans to use them to meet network adequacy requirements. Committee Chairwoman Dana Young told the panel that the bill could offer a "neat way" to provide increased access to pharmaceutical services that are not always available in rural areas. The bill is opposed by smaller community pharmacies. State Sen. Denise Grimsley told the panel that the bill would not change underlying relationships or oversight requirements that pharmacists must have with pharmacy technicians, and that licensed pharmacists would need to remotely supervise the registered pharmacy technicians. Additionally, remote dispensing pharmacies could be located in rural areas at least 10 miles from community pharmacies. Prior to working at a remote dispensing site, a registered pharmacy technician would have to complete at least 2,080 hours of experience at a pharmacy within the preceding 2 years. The Senate bill must now go through the Appropriations and Rules committees before it could head to the full Senate. The bill's House version (HB 679) was recently approved by a health care committee and now heads to the House Health & Human Services Committee.