Pharmacists Can Now IMPLEMENT or MODIFY Drug Therapy Pursuant to a Physician's Delegation:

S.B. 381 by Van de Putte/Hopson (Effective Date: 9/1/09)
This Bill amends the Medical Practices Act to allow a physician to delegate the implementation or modification of a patient’s drug therapy under a protocol, including the authority to sign a prescription for dangerous drugs, IF the Delegation follows a diagnosis, initial patient assessment, and drug therapy order by the physician.

A pharmacist may sign the prescription IF the:

• pharmacist practices in a hospital, hospital-based clinic, or an academic health care institution;
• hospital, hospital-based clinic, or academic health care institution has bylaws and a medical staff policy that permit a physician to delegate to a pharmacist the management of a patient's drug therapy; and
• pharmacist provides a copy of the protocol to the Texas State Board of Pharmacy; and the name, address, and telephone number of the pharmacist and of the delegating physician on each prescription signed by the pharmacist.
  

TSBP is required to:

• publish on its website a list of pharmacists who are authorized to sign a prescription drug order, including the name of the delegating physician; and
• with the advice of the Texas Medical Board, to adopt rules that allow a pharmacist to implement or modify a patient's drug therapy pursuant to a physician's delegation. These rules must be adopted by December 1, 2009

Click here for the application.