BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 1056

By: Zaffirini

Public Health

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Collaborative practice is an advanced health care approach that shifts from the single-provider care model to a team-based care model. The model allows for a formalized practice relationship between a single pharmacist and a single physician, including delegation of certain medication management activities to the pharmacist. Recent legislative changes have resulted in some confusion regarding when the signing of a prescriptive drug order may be delegated to a pharmacist. S.B. 1056 seeks to address this concern by revising the conditions under which the delegation by a physician to a properly qualified and trained pharmacist acting under adequate physician supervision of specific acts of drug therapy management may include the implementation or modification of a patient's drug therapy.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Texas State Board of Pharmacy in SECTION 2 of this bill.

ANALYSIS

S.B. 1056 amends the Occupations Code to include among the conditions under which a delegation by a physician to a properly qualified and trained pharmacist acting under adequate physician supervision of the performance of specific acts of drug therapy management may include the implementation or modification of a patient's drug therapy under a protocol that the delegation follows a diagnosis, initial patient assessment, and drug therapy order by the physician and that the pharmacist maintains a copy of a protocol for inspection until at least the seventh anniversary of the expiration date of the protocol. The bill requires the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, not later than December 1, 2019, to adopt rules necessary to implement statutory provisions relating to rulemaking for the implementation of drug therapy under a protocol.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.