Assisting the pharmacist Pharmacy operations Assisting the pharmacist

Authority to prescribe The STATE determine the extent of a practitioner's prescriptive authority based on his/her practice A dentist can’t prescribe for birth control A podiatrist can’t prescribe for acne

Who Can prescribe Physicians (MD, DO) Podiatrists (DPM) Dentists (DDS, DMD) Optometrists (OD) Veterinarians (DVM) Nurse Practitioners (NP)

Two common methods of prescribing Meds Prescription A hard copy A fax E-prescribe A phone message Medication Order Used in an institutional setting such as a hospital or nursing home,

Contents of a prescription vs medication order Patient Name Home Address Date Written Drug Name Drug Strength Brand or Generic Dosage Form Quantity Directions Refills Medication Order Patient Name Patient Address Height Weight Patient’s room number Patient’s record number Primary physician Patients Allergy history Date Time of day Drug Name Drug Form

Things to consider Prescribers CAN write prescriptions for OTC items

Pharmacy services Mail USPS and FedEx or UPS can be utilized to send controlled substances via mail. UPSP regulations permit the mailing of controlled substances by drug manufacturers, pharmacies, or other authorized handlers when distribution is lawful under DEA regulations AND if the mailer or the addressee is registered with the DEA, or exempt from DEA registration as permissible by law. For obvious reasons, the contents of the package are not to be disclosed and outer package should be free of markings that may hint to package contents.

HIPAA Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (which became effective in 2003) and is an important law that gives federal protection for patient health information. Because all of the information in the pharmacy is patient profile and confidential, technician should sign a confidentiality agreement.

HIPAA continued: Patient information can only be released to the following parties: Patient Prescriber or other authorized licensed practitioner caring for the patient Another licensed pharmacist A representative of the Board of Pharmacy Others only with written release from the patient

Technician duties Technicians may NOT take verbal prescriptions over the phone Technicians may NOT transfer a prescription Technicians may NOT counsel patients Technicians may NOT offer medical advise to patients Technicians may NOT handle Drug-Drug interactions or drug-Allergy reactions A technician MAY perform non-judgmental activities

Definition of a Pharmacy Technician The exact definition varies from state to state, however the basic definition is a person who works under direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist and performs many pharmacy related functions.

Universal Precautions The CDC (Center for Disease Control) is responsible for infection control Universal precautions is the process of preventing the transmission of blood- borne pathogens

Miscellaneous duties of a pharmacy tech Maintain temperature logs Maintain inventory of associated supplies Maintain vaccine inventory Take out garbage and HIPAA sensitive paperwork Maintain inventory of expired products Clean the pharmacy (dust, vacuum, disinfect, clean bathroom)

Duties Continued Complete insurance audits Sell PSE products