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Regular Session, 2012
SENATE BILL NO. 378
BY SENATOR MILLS
PHARMACISTS. Authorizes a pharmacist in a primary health professional shortage area
to administer certain vaccines. (/8/1/12)
AN ACT1
To enact R.S. 37:1218.1, relative to immunizations; to provide for the administration of2
certain immunizations in primary care health professional shortage areas; to provide3
for the requirements of pharmacists administering the immunization; and to provide4
for related matters.5
Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:6
Section 1. R.S. 37:1218.1 is hereby enacted to read as follows: 7
ยง1218.1. Administration of certain immunizations in primary care health8
professional shortage areas9
A. In any parish designated wholly or in part as a primary care health10
professional shortage area as set forth under Section 332 of the Public Health11
Service Act, as determined by the United States Department of Health and12
Human Services, a pharmacist may administer any of the following vaccines,13
but only in conformance with the provisions of Subsection B of this Section:14
(1) Pneumococcal, to any person eighteen years of age or older.15
(2) Zoster, to any person fifty years of age or older.16
B. The pharmacist shall administer each immunization in conformance17 SB NO. 378
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.
with the most current vaccination administration as set forth by the United1
States Public Health Service Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices,2
following guidance published in the Louisiana State Immunization Policies and3
Procedures Manual, to participate in the program and to be covered by the4
National Vaccine Injury Compensation Fund.5
(1)The pharmacist shall report each immunization to the Department of6
Health and Hospitals, office of public health's Louisiana Immunization Network7
for Kids Statewide at the time of the immunization or as soon as reasonably8
practicable thereafter, as this is the official state vaccination record.9
(2)The pharmacist shall report all adverse events he observes or which10
are reported to him to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System, the11
cooperative program of the United States Centers for Disease Control and12
Prevention and the United States Food and Drug Administration for vaccine13
safety, or its successor program; and further, the pharmacist shall refer the14
patient with an adverse event to an immunization for appropriate medical care.15
(3)The pharmacist shall maintain for at least two years a record of each16
immunization administered.17
(4)The pharmacist shall obtain the appropriate credential to administer18
immunization from the board, as administratively defined, prior to19
administering any such immunization.20
(5)The pharmacist shall request the name of a patient's primary care21
provider prior to the administering of any immunization. If the patient22
identifies such primary care provider to the pharmacist, the pharmacist shall23
notify the primary care provider, by written or electronic communication, as24
soon as reasonably possible thereafter that the immunization was administered.25 SB NO. 378
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Christopher D. Adams.
DIGEST
Mills (SB 378)
Proposed law provides that in any parish, wholly or in part, designated as a primary care
health professional shortage area a pharmacist may administer any of the following vaccines:
1. Pneumococcal, to any person eighteen years of age or older.
2. Zoster, to any person fifty years of age or older.
Proposed law provides that the pharmacist shall administer each immunization in
conformance with the most current vaccination administration as set forth by the United
States Public Health Service Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
Proposed law provides that the pharmacist shall report each immunization to the Department
of Health and Hospitals, office of public health's, Louisiana Immunization Network for Kids
Statewide.
Proposed law provides that the pharmacist shall report all adverse events he observes or
which are reported to him to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System.
Proposed law provides that the pharmacist shall maintain for at least two years a record of
each immunization administered.
Proposed law provides that the pharmacist shall obtain the appropriate credential to
administer immunization from the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy.
Proposed law provides that the pharmacist shall request the name of a patient's primary care
provider prior to the administering of any immunization and notify the provider.
Effective August 1, 2012.
(Adds R.S. 37:1218.1)
Summary of Amendments Adopted by Senate
Committee Amendments Proposed by Senate Committee on Health and Welfare to
the original bill
1. Removes influenza from the vaccines list.
2. Changes age requirement for administering Zoster from eighteen years of
age or older to fifty years of age or older.
3. Technical amendments.