The Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee approved a substitute to SB 5924, a bill aimed at expanding prescriptive authority for pharmacists. This legislation seeks to eliminate administrative barriers to pharmacist-provided care by permitting independent prescribing and diagnosis within a pharmacist's scope of practice, based on their individual training, education and experience. An amendment to the bill now includes a list of specific conditions that pharmacists, who meet certain educational and experience requirements, are authorized to treat.
Also in Washington, SB 6228 and identical HB 2707, legislation that would repeal the pharmaceutical wholesale distribution Business & Occupations (B&O) preferential tax rate, had a hearing in the Senate Ways and Means Committee in late January, but no action was taken. The House bill was referred to the Finance Committee. The Healthcare Distributors (HAD) requested we share its one-pager with our members.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.