ENROLLED
2017 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 162
BY REPRESENTATIVE HOFFMANN
A RESOLUTION
To urge and request the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy to recognize more than one accredited
pharmacy technician certification program prior to adopting final rules pursuant to
its administrative rulemaking initiative entitled "Regulatory Project 2015-19 -
Pharmacy Technicians".
WHEREAS, pharmacists are highly educated healthcare professionals who provide
convenient, high-quality healthcare services, including medication management therapy,
immunizations, long-acting injectable medications, disease management, point-of-care
testing, and patient assessments and screenings to a great number of patients; and
WHEREAS, Louisiana pharmacists work in partnership with other healthcare entities
and providers to improve patient outcomes and public health in this state; and
WHEREAS, in an effort to improve patient care, Louisiana pharmacists and
pharmacy owners support a practice environment that utilizes and promotes well-qualified
pharmacy technicians as essential members of the pharmacy care team; and
WHEREAS, certified pharmacy technicians in Louisiana are paraprofessionals who
work exclusively under the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist and assist pharmacists
in preparing and dispensing prescription medications, administrative duties, and performing
pharmacy care services; and
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy requires a certified pharmacy
technician to complete six hundred hours of board-approved training and pass a nationally
accredited certification examination; and
WHEREAS, because no single training and certification method meets the needs of
all pharmacy technicians or community pharmacies, pharmacists and pharmacy owners
support multiple pathways for certified pharmacy technicians so that those technicians may
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complete a certification program that is best suited for the work they will perform in their
unique practice setting, whether that setting is a hospital, a community-based provider, a
long-term care facility, a nuclear pharmacy, or other pharmacy location; and
WHEREAS, the National Commission for Certifying Agencies is a nationally
recognized third party agency that accredits certification programs which are able to meet
and comply with its standards, and has accredited more than one pharmacy technician
certification exam; and
WHEREAS, though the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy has the authority to approve
multiple nationally accredited certification programs, the board has chosen to recognize only
one such program, resulting in a statewide monopoly for the sole company that administers
the only board-approved examination; and
WHEREAS, without competition, monopolistic pricing could cause financial
difficulty, obstacles to practice, and undue strain for professionals who provide vital
healthcare services.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby urge and request the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy to
expand upon its exclusive agreement with the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board, and
to change its definition of "approved certification examination" in order to recognize more
than one pharmacy technician certification program accredited by the National Commission
for Certifying Agencies prior to adopting final rules pursuant to the administrative
rulemaking effort that the board has entitled "Regulatory Project 2015-19 - Pharmacy
Technicians".
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
chairperson and the executive director of the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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