Pharmacy board’s actions raise questions about ethics, patient privacy, safety
A few years ago Kevin McCoy with USA TODAY did a story on about the Boards of Pharmacies (BOP) that 75% of the BOP’s had chain execs sitting on them..
From the article:
A powerful member of the Indiana Board of Pharmacy was quietly involved in discussions with state pharmacy regulators about a $100 million project that benefited his employer — Walgreens pharmacies.
In dozens of emails from 2011 reviewed by The Indianapolis Star, William J. Cover — then president of the state pharmacy board — played a key role in connecting state regulators with Walgreen officials months before the remodeling project became public
The licensing association warned that the meeting in Chicago might violate Indiana’s open doors laws, and in a subsequent email, Wickizer reported to Walgreen officials that the board would go in two groups to avoid a quorum, which would require public notice.
Right now many on the IN BOP are in their THIRD or FOURTH – 4 year term.. and all Rph’s – with the exception of one.. are corporate RPH employees..
Right before this approval by the IN BOP of WAG’S “Well Experience”… there was a two RPH’s in the Indiana Legislature.. one in the Senate and one in the House.. who introduced a bill that would allow the BOP to increase the tech/RPH ratio from 4:1 to 6:1. Which shortly there after.. the BOP amended the practice act to allow a 6:1 tech/RPH ratio.. SURPRISE !
I wasn’t at the BOP meeting.. but.. can’t you just hear WAG’S “dog and pony show” .. telling how it was going to give the RPH’s more time to assist/interact with pts … I believe that they also approved that the RPH could monitor the actions of the techs filling Rxs via some sort of remote video…. at least they probably promised of the RPH from their “desk” adjoining the pharmacy. BUT.. remote video is remote video.. how long before the RPH’s doing the verification of the tech’s work.. is sitting at a desk in Timbuktu and they are allowed to get the BOP to amend the practice act to let that RPH in Timbuktu to be the qualifying RPH for multiple stores?
BTW.. as part of this increase tech:RPH ratio.. they mandated that techs must be able to pass one of two BOP approved test within one year of being employed as a “tech-in-training”.. Of course, they didn’t have the foresight – or care – to mandate that there be a mandatory certified to tech-in-training on duty ratio.. so legally a RPH could be working with 6 techs-in-training.. with each having as little as a few days to a few months of experience.
Filed under: General Problems
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