Pharmacy Focus: Policy Edition - Overview of California's Stop Dangerous Pharmacies Act

Commentary
Podcast

Ron Lanton discusses California's Stop Dangerous Pharmacies Act, which aims to address understaffed chain pharmacies and reduce medication errors by implementing new regulations around pharmacy staffing, error reporting, and unsafe working conditions.

About The Expert

Ron Lanton has over 25 years of experience focused on government affairs and legal including 20 years dedicated to the healthcare sector. He is currently a Partner at Lanton Law and the President of Lanton Strategies. Ron has been an Executive Director & Senior Counsel for a national boutique health care law firm.

Ron Lanton, esq, partner at Lanton Law, discusses California's Stop Dangerous Pharmacies Act (AB 1286), which was signed into law in late 2023. He provides an overview of the key provisions of the new law, including authorizing pharmacists to make staffing decisions to ensure safety, requiring reporting of medication errors and unsafe conditions, and implementing enforcement measures if chains do not comply with the staffing and safety regulations. He also anticipates that this law will help improve patient safety by empowering pharmacy staff to speak up about unsafe environments and preventing fatigue or distractions that could lead to medication errors. It is seen as an important first step at the state level to address issues reported at understaffed chain pharmacies.

Key Takeaways

  1. AB 1286 aims to crack down on understaffed chain pharmacies in California that have been linked to medication errors through new regulations.
  2. The law authorizes pharmacists to make independent staffing decisions based on workload and conditions to ensure safety.
  3. Pharmacies must report all medication errors and pharmacists can report any unsafe conditions that could put patients at risk.
  4. The new law could empower pharmacy staff to speak up about safety concerns and influence other states to pass similar legislation.
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