On November 3, NACDS’ pharmacists from Albertsons, CVS, HEB, Kroger, and Walgreens, as well as the Texas Federation of Drug Stores president, all testified in support of the proposed rules to expand technician ratios. The Board of Pharmacy adopted final rules increasing the pharmacist-to-technician ratio from 1:4 to 1:6 in Class A community retail pharmacies, and totaling eliminating the 1:8 ratio in Class G central processing pharmacies. The Board also voted to expand pharmacy technician duties for Class A and Class G pharmacies, including accepting oral prescriptions, transferring prescriptions, and contacting the prescriber to clarify information on an existing prescription order. The new rules will become effective 21 days after they are submitted to the Texas Register, which could occur by mid-December 2020.
Also in Texas. The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Immunization Program is requiring pharmacies register to be eligible to administer COVID-19 vaccines in Texas once they are available. Also, pharmacies must register with ImmTrac2, Texas’ Immunization Information System (IIS), and also register on VaccineFinder.org
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.