The Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) and the Washington State Pharmacy Association (WSPA) have partnered to advocate for a pair of bills that would modify rules limiting prepackaged medications that are distributed from hospital emergency departments and health care entities, such as some urgent cares.
Under current state law, patients without access to a pharmacy can receive prepackaged medications from these settings with limits on dosages. House Bill 1186 and Senate Bill 5019 would create exemptions to dosage limits for prepackaged medications — such as inhalers, creams, eye drops and insulin pens — that cannot be safely broken into small enough quantities for distribution. Both bills received public hearings in the Capitol the week of Jan. 20, and they have a total of 23 sponsors from state representatives and senators.
“These bills make common sense changes to state law that will allow patients to get the medication they need to follow up on their treatment, get discharged without an unnecessary wait and avoid an unnecessary readmission,” WSHA President and CEO Cassie Sauer said. “It’s a safe and equitable solution for patients, and it would reduce medical waste, as remaining, usable doses of medications must otherwise be discarded if a dose is given to a patient in a hospital or urgent care prior to discharge.”
“Our health-system-based members identified the need to update this law to reduce barriers to patient care,” said Jenny Arnold, CEO of the WSPA. “We were pleased to collaborate with WSHA to support this bill, which will help patients access the medications they need for a safe discharge.”
For patients to be eligible to receive medication from a hospital or health care entity, a community or outpatient pharmacy cannot be readily available to the patient. Lawmakers previously granted exemptions to dosage limits for some medications being dispensed out of emergency departments — such as opioid use disorder medications, antibiotics and HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) medications — because they are critical to patient safety and health outcomes.
About WSPA
Founded in 1890, the Washington State Pharmacy Association (WSPA) is a professional trade association representing pharmacists, technicians, student pharmacists and pharmacies in all practice settings. We are the home and voice of pharmacy practice and advocate on behalf of the profession to ensure pharmacy professionals are uniformly recognized as a vital member of the healthcare team.
