The bill aims to expand the circumstances under which medications can be dispensed or delivered from hospitals and healthcare entities in Washington State. It allows practitioners with prescriptive authority to prescribe limited amounts of prepackaged emergency medications to patients being discharged from hospital emergency departments when access to community or outpatient pharmacy services is unavailable. The bill specifically includes medications for opioid overdose reversal, treatment for opioid use disorder, human immunodeficiency virus postexposure prophylaxis drugs, anti-infectives, and drugs that come prepackaged by the manufacturer. It establishes criteria for hospitals to develop policies regarding the distribution of these medications, including training for practitioners and nurses, maintaining valid prescriptions, and ensuring secure storage of medications.

Additionally, the bill modifies existing regulations concerning the dispensing of legend drugs and controlled substances by healthcare entities. It maintains that these entities must be licensed and operate under the supervision of a pharmacist. The bill clarifies that practitioners can dispense medications for personal use to patients in amounts not exceeding 72 hours, with exceptions for situations where pharmacy services are unavailable, or specific medications are required. The 72-hour limit does not apply to anti-infectives, human immunodeficiency virus postexposure prophylaxis drugs, or when medications are packaged by the manufacturer in larger quantities that cannot be altered.

Statutes affected:
Original Bill: 70.41.480, 18.64.450
Substitute Bill: 70.41.480, 18.64.450