La. Admin. Code tit. 46 § LIII-1107

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024

Section LIII-1107 - Pharmacy Operations

A. The owner of the pharmacy shall employ an appropriate number of professional, technical, and clerical personnel commensurate with the nature and scope of the pharmacy practice. The owner of the pharmacy shall ensure there are a sufficient number of licensed personnel on site when the pharmacy is open to competently and safely perform patient care services and dispense prescriptions accurately.

B. Minimum Hours of Operation; Business Hours Posted

1. A pharmacy shall be open for business a minimum of 10 hours per week. A pharmacist shall be on duty at all times when the pharmacy is open for business, subject to the provision for the temporary absence of a pharmacist in Section 1109 of this Part.

2. The pharmacy shall post its hours of operation at the building entrance in full public view from outside the premises. Pharmacies holding permits classified as correctional, hospital, institutional, or nuclear shall be exempt from this posting requirement.

C. No person credentialed by the board may engage in the practice of pharmacy for a period of time longer than six hours without a rest break.

D. The owner of the pharmacy shall develop plans, policies and procedures to ensure business continuity in the event of natural or other disasters or emergencies. Such plans, policies, and procedures shall include provisions for continuity of patient care in the event the pharmacy is unable to open for business. The pharmacy shall provide access to such plans, policies, and procedures when requested by the board.

E. Temporary Closure of Pharmacy in an Emergency 1. When the governor issues or renews a state of emergency pursuant to the Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act of 1993, R.S. 29:721 et seq., or a state of public health emergency pursuant to the Louisiana Health Emergency Powers Act, R.S. 29:760 et seq., or when the pharmacist-in-charge determines it necessary to close the pharmacy for a temporary period of time during an emergency or Act of God, the following provisions shall apply.

a. The pharmacy shall notify the board in written form with information as to the anticipated duration of the temporary closure as well as the provisions for continuity of patient care no later than the next business day.

b. The pharmacy may establish a secure storage area separate from, but adjoining to, the secured prescription department within which the pharmacy may store prescriptions prepared for delivery to the patient, or his agent or caregiver. In the alternative, but only after receiving approval from the board, the pharmacy may establish a temporary secure storage area separate from and not adjoining the prescription department within which the pharmacy may store prescriptions prepared for delivery to the patient, or his agent or caregiver.

c. Access to prescriptions stored in the temporary secure storage area shall be restricted to individuals designated by the pharmacist-in-charge.

d. Prepared prescriptions stored in a temporary secure storage area may be delivered to the patient, or his agent or caregiver, whether or not a pharmacist is on duty, but only when so authorized by the pharmacist-in-charge.

La. Admin. Code tit. 46, § LIII-1107

Promulgated by the Department of Health and Hospitals, Board of Pharmacy, LR 23:1310 (October 1997), amended LR 29:2088 (October 2003), effective January 1, 2004, LR 34:1408 (July 2008), Amended by the Department of Health, Board of Pharmacy, LR 471643 (11/1/2021), Amended LR 482105 (8/1/2022), Amended LR 5034 (1/1/2024).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 37:1182.