Telepharmacy Criteria Remove Location Restriction

Currently, a "telepharmacy outlet" must be located more than 20 miles from the nearest prescription drug outlet or other telepharmacy outlet. The bill removes this geographic mileage restriction on the operation of telepharmacy outlets and requires a telepharmacy outlet to be located in an area of need. An "area of need" is any health facility licensed by the department of public health and environment or any area where a demonstration of need is approved by the state board of pharmacy (board) .

The bill authorizes requires the state board of pharmacy (board) to adopt limited rules concerning telepharmacy outlets.For the 2022-23 state fiscal year, the bill appropriates $505,819 from the division of professions and occupations (division) cash fund to be used by the division to implement the bill, with money reappropriated to the department of law for legal services. The appropriation is based on the assumption that the division will require an additional 4.4 FTE, and the department of law will require 0.4 FTE.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)