Virginia Regulatory Town Hall

Final Text

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Action:
Correction of Code cite
Stage: Final
 
18VAC110-20-530

Part XII
Pharmacy Services to Long-Term Care Facilities

18VAC110-20-530. Pharmacy's responsibilities to long-term care facilities.

The pharmacy serving a long-term care facility shall:

1. Receive a valid order prior to the dispensing of any drug.

2. Ensure that personnel administering the drugs are trained in using the dispensing system provided by the pharmacy.

3. Ensure that the drugs for each patient are kept and stored in the originally received containers and that the medication of one patient shall not be transferred to another patient.

4. Ensure that each cabinet, cart or other area utilized for the storage of drugs is locked and accessible only to authorized personnel.

5. Ensure that the storage area for patients drugs is well lighted, of sufficient size to permit storage without crowding, and is maintained at appropriate temperature.

6. Ensure that poison and drugs for "external use only" are kept in a cabinet and separate from other medications.

7. Provide for the disposition of discontinued drugs under the following conditions:

a. Discontinued drugs may be returned to the pharmacy for resale or transferred to another pharmacy for redispensing to the indigent if authorized by §54.1-3411.1 and 18VAC110-20-400, or destroyed by appropriate means in compliance with any applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulations.

b. Drug destruction at the pharmacy shall be witnessed by the PIC and by another pharmacy employee. The pharmacy may transfer the drugs for destruction to an entity appropriately licensed to accept returns for destruction. Drug destruction at the facility shall be witnessed by the director of nursing or, if there is no director, then by the facility administrator and by a pharmacist providing pharmacy services to the facility or by another employee authorized to administer medication.

c. A complete and accurate record of the drugs returned or destroyed or both shall be made. The original of the record of destruction shall be signed and dated by the persons witnessing the destruction and maintained at the long-term care facility for a period of two years. A copy of the destruction record shall be maintained at the provider pharmacy for a period of two years.

d. Long-term care facilities shall destroy discontinued or unused drugs or return them to the pharmacy without 30 days of the date the drug was discontinued.

8. Ensure that appropriate drug reference materials are available in the facility units.

9. Ensure that a monthly review of drug therapy by a pharmacist is conducted for each patient in long-term care facilities except those licensed under Title 63.1 63.2 of the Code of Virginia. Such review shall be used to determine any irregularities, which may include but not be limited to drug therapy, drug interactions, drug administration or transcription errors. The pharmacist shall sign and date the notation of the review. All significant irregularities shall be brought to the attention of the attending practitioner or other party having authority to correct the potential problem.

Statutory Authority

§§54.1-103 and 54.1-2400 and Chapters 33 (§54.1-3300 et seq.) and 34 (§54.1-3400 et seq.) of Title 54.1 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from VR530-01-1 §11.2, eff. October 25, 1989; amended, Virginia Register Volume 9, Issue 4, eff. December 16, 1992; Volume 10, Issue 1, eff. November 4, 1993; Volume 11, Issue 21, eff. August 9, 1995; Volume 12, Issue 21, eff. August 7, 1996; Volume 19, Issue 20, eff. July 16, 2003; Volume 20, Issue 23, eff. August 25, 2004; Volume 24, Issue 16, eff. May 14, 2008.