HB494 Summary

• Establishes the Collaborative Drug Therapy Management Act, authorizing pharmacists and physicians to collaborate through written agreements and protocols to manage patient medications and achieve optimal medication outcomes.

• Creates a Joint Committee for Collaborative Drug Therapy Management composed of three physicians and three pharmacists nominated by professional associations and appointed by respective state boards, with staggered three-year terms and alternating physician/pharmacist chairs.

• Authorizes pharmacists under collaborative agreements to order drug therapy-related laboratory tests, administer drugs, monitor and adjust drug regimens, but explicitly prohibits independent prescribing by pharmacists.

• Grants the State Board of Medical Examiners and State Board of Pharmacy authority to establish qualifications, oversight, and adopt rules; provides exemptions for hospitals with institutional pharmacy permits and for immunizations and disease outbreak response under Department of Public Health direction.

• Establishes grounds for termination of collaborative practice authorization, disciplinary procedures, and enforcement mechanisms including quo warranto proceedings to prevent unlawful collaborative drug therapy management; becomes effective the first day of the third month after passage.