WSHA is pleased that the Department of Health’s Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission (PQAC) is taking up rulemaking to protect patients from unsafe practices regarding provision of provider-administered drugs. WSHA plans to participate in the rulemaking process.
October 3, PQAC filed a rulemaking inquiry (CR-101) to consider creating new sections in chapter 246-945 WAC related to the regulation of “white bagging” or any other transfer of a prescription or drug for the purpose of re-dispensing or subsequent administration to a patient. The rulemaking inquiry follows earlier discussions where the commission determined it needed to consider more robust regulatory standards to ensure product integrity and patient safety.
“White bagging” refers to the distribution of patient‐specific medication from a pharmacy, typically a specialty pharmacy, to the physician’s office, hospital, or clinic for administration. It is problematic for hospitals and providers due to the difficulty of ensuring the authenticity, safety, and dosage of drugs they do not procure and compound themselves. Unfortunately, many insurers are requiring provider-administered drugs to be purchased solely through their own affiliated specialty pharmacies as condition of payment. (Andrew Busz, andrewb@wsha.org)
