WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE

2024 REGULAR SESSION

Introduced

Senate Bill 407

By Senator Chapman

[Introduced January 12, 2024; referred
to the Committee on Health and Human Resources; Government Organization]

A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new article, designated §30-5A-1, §30-5A-2, and §30-5A-3, all relating to creating the Pharmacist Prescribing Authority Act; authorizing pharmacists to prescribe low-risk medications to patients; and listing the limitations of the prescriptions that fall under that authority.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

Article 5A. Pharmacist Prescribing authority act.

§30-5A-1. Short title.

This Act shall be known and may be cited as the Pharmacist Prescribing Authority Act.

§30-5A-2. Purpose.

The purpose of this Act is to authorize pharmacists to practice the full extent of their education and training to prescribe low-risk medications to patients.

§30-5A-3. Practice of Pharmacy.

Practice of Pharmacy includes all of article 5 of this Chapter, as well as:

The prescribing of:

Drugs, drug categories, or devices, excluding controlled substances, that are prescribed in accordance with the product’s federal Food and Drug Administration-approved labeling and that are limited to conditions that:

(i) Do not require a new diagnosis;

(ii) Are minor and generally self-limiting;

(iii) Have a test that is used to guide diagnosis or clinical decision-making and are waived under the federal clinical laboratory improvement amendments of 1988; or

(iv) In the professional judgment of the pharmacist, are patient emergencies.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to authorize pharmacists to practice the full extent of their education and training to prescribe low-risk medications to patients.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.