Standard of Care
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In April of 2024, Governor Kim Reynolds signed HF 555 to modernize the Iowa Pharmacy Practice Act for the first time since 1986. The bill implements a standard of care regulatory model and removes burdensome restrictions on pharmacy practice. The bill goes into effect July 1, 2024; followed by Board of Pharmacy rulemaking in 2024-early 2025; which will align practice with pharmacists’ full training and education for years to come.
Iowa is the third state to implement a standard of care framework, following Idaho and Alaska. IPA is focused on creating educational resources for members and collaborating with the Board of Pharmacy to implement this legislation.
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Definition of Standard of Care:
The level of care and service that a reasonably competent and skilled health professional, with a similar background and in a similar setting, would have provided under similar circumstances. It is a benchmark used to measure the quality and appropriateness of the care provided by healthcare practitioners.
General Principles:
Pharmacists can practice, and will be regulated, under a standard of care framework, and must consider:
- Is the act expressly prohibited in statute or rules?
- Is the act consistent with their education, training, and experience?
- Is the act within the accepted standard of care that would be provided in a similar setting by a reasonable and prudent licensee or registrant with similar education, training, and experience?
SAVE THE DATE: Standard of Care Symposium – February 22, 2025, West Des Moines, IA
Offering 6 hours of Continuing Pharmacy Education (CPE)
RESOURCES
- IPA Advocacy 1-Pager (January 2024): Pharmacy Practice Act: House File 555
- IPA “Now What” 1-Pager (June 2024): Now What? Adopting a Standard of Care Regulatory Framework
- JAPhA Article (February 2024): How to Implement a “Standard of Care” Regulatory Model for Pharmacists
- JCPP (May 2014): The Pharmacists’ Patient Care Proces
- Innovations in Pharmacy (August 2019): Pharmacists' Patient Care Process: A State “Scope of Practice” Perspective
- Insight to Advocacy: Pharmacy Practice Act Update (April 2024)
- 2/2/2: Need to Know: Pharmacy Practice Changes in Iowa Under Standard of Care (June 2024)
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Standard of Care (SOC): The level of care and service that a reasonably competent and skilled health professional, with a similar background and in a similar setting, would have provided under similar circumstances.
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Bright-Line Regulation: A clear, unambiguous rule or standard that dictates specific actions and prohibits specific behaviors, often leaving little room for interpretation.
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Statute: A written law passed by a legislative body. In Iowa, law and statute referred to as Iowa Code (e.g. IC 155A).
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Rules: Regulations or guidelines established by state agencies (e.g. Department of Health and Human Services, Iowa Board of Pharmacy) or organizations to govern behavior and actions within specific contexts. In Iowa, referred to as Iowa Administrative Code (IAC) for example Board of Pharmacy rules IAC chapter 657.
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Education, Training, and Experience: The accumulated knowledge, skills, and practice gained through formal education, professional training, and hands-on work in a particular field.
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Reasonable and Prudent Licensee or Registrant: A healthcare professional who is deemed to be sensible and careful in their actions, possessing similar qualifications, and acting within the scope of their practice.
COMING SOON!
Submit your questions to ipa@iarx.org.
