SB 203 - This act provides that upon receiving a valid, lawful prescription for a contraceptive, a pharmacy has a duty to dispense the contraceptive or a suitable alternative permitted by the health care provider who issued the prescription. The pharmacy must fill the prescription without delay and consistent with the normal time frame for filling any other prescription. If the contraceptive or suitable alternative is not in stock, the pharmacy must obtain the contraceptive under the pharmacy's standard procedures for ordering contraceptives not in stock. If the patient prefers, the prescription must either be transferred to a local pharmacy of the patient's choice or returned to the patient. This act also provides that nothing in the provisions of this act shall interfere with a pharmacist's screening for potential drug therapy problems, contraindications, or other potential interaction problems.
A pharmacy has a duty to treat each customer in a non-judgmental manner and ensure that each customer is not subjected to indignity, humiliation, breaches of confidentiality, or pressure to fill or not fill the prescription. In addition, the duties to fill the prescription under this act shall also apply to emergency contraception sold over the counter to persons of legal age.
Violation of the provisions of this act shall subject the licensed pharmacy to disciplinary action by the Board of Pharmacy.
This act is substantially similar to HB 584 (2009), SB 948 (2008) and SCS/SB 72 (2007) and similar to provisions in SB 329 (2009) and HB 999 (2009).
ADRIANE CROUSE