Bill > H1971

This bill aims to improve access to pharmacy services within hospitals by expanding the scope of collaborative drug therapy management, which allows pharmacists to manage certain aspects of patient drug therapy under physician supervision. Specifically, it amends existing law to permit an "attending physician" (the doctor primarily responsible for a patient's care) or their designated representative in a hospital setting to refer patients to a pharmacist. This pharmacist must be practicing under a "collaborative practice agreement," a formal arrangement where a physician delegates certain drug therapy management tasks to a pharmacist, and this agreement must be overseen by a "supervising physician" whose medical specialty aligns with the patient's condition. The bill clarifies that these referrals can be made to pharmacists whose practice scope is within the area of medicine of the supervising physician, thereby enhancing coordinated patient care and potentially improving medication management in hospitals.