New Colorado Law Expands Pharmacist Opportunities
On June 6, 2016, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper signed into law Senate Bill 16-135 which amends the Colorado Pharmacy Practice Act and the Colorado Insurance Code to expand practice opportunities for pharmacist and provide a pathway for reimbursement of pharmacy services. The Bill is expected to go into effect in early August 2016.
The Bill includes the following:
- Providers reimbursement opportunities for pharmacies that provide healthcare services otherwise provided by a physician or advanced practice nurse;
- Calls on insurance plans to include pharmacists in their network of providers;
- Expands collaborative practice agreements to one or more patients cared for by the collaborative physician or advanced practice nurse;
- Expands collaborative practice agreements to treat a protocol rather than a single drug;
- Provides for the development of Statewide Drug Therapy Protocols to be jointly developed by the Boards of Medicine, Pharmacy and Nursing in collaboration with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
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