By: Kacal (Senate Sponsor - Schwertner) H.B. No. 2425

(In the Senate - Received from the House April 15, 2019; April 16, 2019, read first time and referred to Committee on Health & Human Services; May 8, 2019, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 9, Nays 0; May 8, 2019, sent to printer.) Click here to see the committee vote

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the authority of physicians to delegate to certain pharmacists the implementation and modification of a patient's drug therapy.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 157.101, Occupations Code, is amended by amending Subsection (b-1) and adding Subsection (g) to read as follows:

(b-1) A delegation under Subsection (b) may include the implementation or modification of a patient's drug therapy under a protocol, including the authority to sign a prescription drug order for dangerous drugs, if:

(1) the delegation follows a diagnosis, initial patient assessment, and drug therapy order by the physician;

(2) the pharmacist practices in a federally qualified health center, a hospital, a hospital-based clinic, or an academic health care institution;

(3) the federally qualified health center, hospital, hospital-based clinic, or academic health care institution in which the pharmacist practices has bylaws and a medical staff policy that permit a physician to delegate to a pharmacist the management of a patient's drug therapy;

(4) the pharmacist provides the name, address, and telephone number of the pharmacist and of the delegating physician on each prescription signed by the pharmacist; and

(5) the pharmacist provides a copy of the protocol to the Texas State Board of Pharmacy.

(g) In this section, "federally qualified health center" has the meaning assigned by Section 531.02192, Government Code.

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.

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