Senate Bill 6558 is a top priority for WSHA this session, and it would provide direction to the state Pharmacy Commission and Department of Health on how to implement current law (SB 5460) about pharmacy services and licensing. Although SB 5460 was enacted last year, it has not yet been implemented. This would allow hospitals an efficient way to license their clinics and transfer essential medications to them. It would also ensure consistent and appropriate risk-based regulations and enforcements for clinics, not subjecting clinics to a standard of care that they do not provide. Click here to read the issue brief.
For years, hospitals were able to transfer medications to their clinics without regulation. However, in 2013 the state Pharmacy Commission deemed these transfers illegal, and clinics were told they would need their own licenses to accept medications. For a large hospital, this could mean applying for and managing upwards of 200 new licenses to continue serving their clinics. SB 6558 would mitigate this need.
For more information, contact Ian Corbridge. (206/216-2514).
