VA Pharmacy Personnel, Acquisition and Distribution

Question 1

When are persons who work with schedule I-V drugs required to take a complete inventory?

Answer 1

When they first engage in business; even if they don’t have controlled substances on hand at the time of opening. Inventories must be done either prior to opening or at the close of business on the inventory date.

Question 2

After the initial inventory, when does another inventory need to be taken?

Answer 2

Every two years

Question 3

Is the inventory required to be in writing?

Answer 3

Yes

Question 4

What is required to be on the record of drugs received?

Answer 4

1. Date of receipt
2. Name and address of supplier
3. Kind and quantity of drug

Question 5

What is required to be on the record of drugs sold, administered, dispensed or disposed of?

Answer 5

1. Date sold or dispensed

2. Name and address of the person to whom sold or dispensed

Question 6

What about records of drugs lost, stolen, or destroyed?

Answer 6

The pharmacy must keep a detailed list of any such drugs including the kind and quantity of the drugs and the date of discovery of the loss.

Question 7

What do you have to do if you discover a theft or unusual loss of controlled substance? What if you don’t know what was lost?

Answer 7

Immediately report it to the board; you must make a immediate complete inventory of all Schedule I-V drugs if you don’t know what was lost

Question 8

Are you required to furnish the Board with a listing of the drugs lost during a theft or unusual loss?

Answer 8

YES; within 30 days - it must include the kind, quantity and strength of the drugs lost

Question 9

For how long do you have to keep records of drug dispensing, receipt, transfer and loss?

Answer 9

For two years

Question 10

When can an agent of the Board have access to and copy your records?

Answer 10

At any reasonable time. They do not need special permission.

Question 11

Can the state police get access to your records?

Answer 11

• • A state police agent who is doing a drug diversion investigation must be permitted access at reasonable times to relevant records specific to that investigation.
• • He must be allowed to inspect and copy records. They do not however have the broad inspection powers of the Board.
• • They are not allowed to inspect financial data, sales data, pricing data, personal data and research data.
• • They are allowed to see shipment data.

Question 12

Are techs allowed to make extemporaneous preparations?

Answer 12

Yes, as long as the pharmacist provides personal supervision.

Question 13

What is the max number of interns, techs, and tech trainees that a pharmacist can supervise at one time?

Answer 13

Four. This is the max number of persons acting as a pharmacy tech and includes trainees and interns doing tech work. If the intern is just learning and not acting as a tech then they do not count against the four that are allowed.
– The pharmacist may also refuse to supervise more than he or she is comfortable with.

Question 14

What must go in the dispensing record?

Answer 14

1. the date of dispensing

2. the pharmacist involved in the process

Question 15

For how long must dispensing records be kept?

Answer 15

2 years

Question 16

Are pharmacists allowed to decline to fill prescriptions?

Answer 16

Yes

Question 17

The pharmacist decides to decline a prescription. Does he need to do anything before giving the prescription back to the patient?

Answer 17

1. The word “declined”
2. The name, address, telephone number of the pharmacy
3. The date it was declined
4. the pharmacist signature

Question 18

What do you do if you think that the prescription is a forgery?

Answer 18

The prescription is not returned to the patient. You must keep it for at least 30 days before destruction.