State Board of Pharmacy: Proactive & Holistic Counsel
State Boards of Pharmacy regulate pharmacies and pharmacists nationwide, typically overseeing every facet of the profession. To ensure compliance and safeguard your pharmacy business and professional licenses, it's vital to adopt a proactive stance rather than a passive one. At Buchanan, our attorneys specialize in navigating State Board of Pharmacy laws, rules, and regulations and are ready to provide you with strategic guidance tailored to your specific needs and goals.
Proactive State Board of Pharmacy Compliance
Pharmacies cannot afford to take a passive approach to legal and regulatory compliance. With experienced legal counsel, pharmacies can take control of their operations and avoid surprises, like violations and disciplinary actions, before they occur. Our attorneys apply their decades of experience navigating State Board of Pharmacy laws, rules, and regulations and work closely with your team to ensure comprehensive compliance.
Thorough Risk Assessment for Pharmacies
Complying with every rule can be onerous for pharmacy managers unaware of the intricacies of all State Board of Pharmacy regulations. Our team helps clients conduct risk assessments to identify any potential areas of liability and answer questions that arise as new rules and challenges emerge.
Rulemaking Advocacy
As the pharmacy industry evolves, State Boards of Pharmacy regularly enact new rules and regulations. In doing so, they will often provide pharmacies the opportunity to comment on rule proposals and provide opinions on how the rule would impact the industry and patients. Buchanan’s attorneys are well versed in the rulemaking process and understand how pharmacies can advocate for themselves in ways that will positively influence new rules and protect their best interests.
Effective Disciplinary Prevention, Response and Mitigation
Pharmacies must make the right decisions at the right time to mitigate damages. Even actions such as not reporting a change in business hours can result in lost revenue and reputational damage. When these actions are not handled properly, pharmacies can face significant financial losses and unnecessary reputational harm. Buchanan’s attorneys can advise leadership on how to handle infractions and inquiries in ways that limit damages and disruptions to operations.
State Board of Pharmacy Investigation Support
Investigations and disciplinary actions from State Boards of Pharmacy vary widely in complexity and severity. Our attorneys can help at every stage of any investigation, including the following:
- Minimum hours of operation and “failure to operate”
- Supervision of pharmacy personnel
- Pharmacy business practices, including marketing practices, arrangements and agreements
- Inventory maintenance, storage practices and security policies
- HIPAA compliance and breaches
- Overall operations and dispensing practices
- Staffing ratios and minimum staffing requirements
- Failure to provide notice of disciplinary action in other jurisdictions
- Practice of pharmacy by unlicensed unqualified individuals
- Drug inventory discrepancies and inventory shortfalls
- Prescription transfer policies, practices and procedures
- Failure to notify of changes in location, ownership, Pharmacist-in-Charge (PIC), etc.
- Patient complaints
- Prescriber complaints
- Recordkeeping requirements and storage of prescription records
- Pharmacy policies and procedures, including handling of controlled dangerous substances
- Policies and procedures related to mailing or mail-order pharmacy, delivery services, and shipping.
Administrative Hearing Representation
Should a State Board of Pharmacy take action against your business or license, our attorneys can represent your pharmacy through all administrative hearings. Our team will speak and handle on your behalf to ensure your best interests are protected. By taking a proactive and strategic approach, our attorneys can ensure damages and business interruptions are minimized throughout the process.