HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1838        FILED ON: 1/19/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1139

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Gerard Cassidy

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to the dispensing of prescription drugs.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Gerard Cassidy

9th Plymouth

1/19/2017

Michelle M. DuBois

10th Plymouth

 


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1838        FILED ON: 1/19/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1139

By Mr. Cassidy of Brockton, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1139) of Gerard Cassidy and Michelle M. DuBois relative to the dispensing of prescription drugs by pharmacists.  Public Health.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninetieth General Court
(2017-2018)

_______________

 

An Act relative to the dispensing of prescription drugs.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  Chapter 94C, Section 23  of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2014 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting at the end of subsection (d) the following two new language:-

A pharmacist may dispense a 90-day supply for a prescribed drug product in

Schedule VI when (i) the practitioner prescribed an initial 30-day prescription for

the drug product and authorized 2 or more refills; (ii) the practitioner did not

indicate on the original prescription that dispensing the prescription for 30 days

with periodic refills is medically necessary; and (iii) the total quantity of dosage

units dispensed, including refills, does not exceed the total quantity of dosage units

indicated by the practitioner on the prescription.

SECTION 2.  Chapter 94C, Section 23  of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting at the end thereof the following new subsection (d) the following two new language:-

(i)A pharmacist may dispense less than a 30-day supply for a prescription

with additional authorized refills if the pharmacist determines the fill or refill to be

in the best interest of the patient and the patient requests or agrees to less than a 30

day’s supply for the purpose of synchronizing the filling of the patient’s

medications on the same date.

SECTION 3. The Department of Public Health shall promulgate rules and

regulations in consultation with the Board of Registration in Pharmacy in order to

implement these sections.