Bill > S1965

This bill clarifies and expands regulations for pharmaceutical services within long-term care facilities, which are defined as any facility or part of a facility licensed by the New Jersey Department of Health as a long-term care facility, replacing a previous, more specific list of facility types. It mandates that each long-term care facility must have a consultant pharmacist and either a provider pharmacist or a director of pharmaceutical services if they have an in-house pharmacy, with all pharmacists needing to be licensed in New Jersey and adhere to federal and state laws and accepted practice standards. Furthermore, the bill requires the establishment of an interdisciplinary pharmacy and therapeutics committee, meeting at least quarterly and composed of key facility personnel including the administrator, nursing representative, and consultant pharmacist, to oversee pharmaceutical practices and maintain records of their activities and recommendations. To ensure independent oversight, each facility must appoint a consultant pharmacist who is not affiliated with the facility's director of pharmaceutical services or pharmacist provider and must avoid any real or potential conflicts of interest. Finally, facilities that store emergency injectable or oral controlled substances must maintain current Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and controlled dangerous substance registrations for their location, and the Commissioner of Health is tasked with creating necessary rules and regulations to implement these provisions.

Health and Social Services

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2024/S1965