Louisiana Pharmacy Law (MPJE) Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy regulations, licensure, facility requirements, and dispensing rules based on R.S. 37 and LAC 46:LIII.

Louisiana Board of Pharmacy Composition

Directly consists of $17$ members, including $2$ licensed pharmacists from each of the nine pharmacy districts and $1$ consumer representative.

Board Parent Department

The Louisiana Board of Pharmacy is created within the Louisiana Department of Health (R.S. 37:§1171).

Board Officers

The board elects from its members a president, secretary, and one or more vice presidents (R.S. 37:§1179).

Board President Duties

Presides at all board meetings and is responsible for the performance of all duties and functions of the board.

Board Member Selection Method

Members are appointed by the governor of Louisiana.

Nominee Residential Requirement

Both the nominating pharmacist and the pharmacist nominee must be residents of the district where the vacancy occurs.

Nomination Ballot Deadline (Expiring Term)

Ballots must be returned to the board office at least $60$ days prior to a vacancy occurring by an expiring term.

Nomination Ballot Deadline (Death/Resignation)

Ballots must be returned to the board office at least $30$ days following a vacancy due to death or resignation.

Board Nominee Felony Restriction

A nominee shall not have been convicted of a felony.

Board Nominee Probation Restriction

A nominee shall not have been placed on probation by the board.

Pharmacist Member Term Length

Pharmacist members serve terms of $6$ years (R.S. 37:§1177).

Consumer Representative Term

There is no time limit set on the consumer member's term; the governor may fill the position at pleasure.

Board Meeting Frequency

The Board must meet at least once every $12$ months.

Closed Session Authority

While meetings are open to the public, the board can conduct any portion in a closed session (R.S. 37:§1180).

Pharmacist Minimum Age

An applicant for pharmacist licensure must be at least $21$ years old (R.S. 37:§1202).

Moral Standards for Pharmacists

Pharmacists must be of good moral character and temperate habits.

Internship Duration for Pharmacist Applicants

Completion of a minimum of $1$ year of professional experience through an internship or board-approved program.

Reciprocity Eligibility Requirement

The applicant must have possessed all qualifications necessary to be eligible for licensure in Louisiana at the time of their initial licensure (R.S. 37:§1203).

Foreign Graduate Testing Requirements

Must pass a transcript verification program, a pharmacy equivalency exam, and a communication ability test.

New Pharmacist License Application Fee

$$300$$

Reciprocity Application Fee

$$450$$

Annual Pharmacist CE Requirement

$15$ hours yearly, including $3$ live hours.

Pharmacist CE Requirement (No Live Hours)

If the pharmacist chooses not to do live hours, they must complete a total of $20$ hours.

Nuclear Pharmacist Annual CE

$5$ hours annually specific to nuclear pharmacy.

Sterile Compounding Annual CE

$1$ hour annually related to sterile drug preparation.

Medication Administration Annual CE

$1$ hour annually related to the administration of medication.

Minimum Intern Hours for Licensure

$1740$ hours (LAC 46:LIII.§705).

Pharmacist Examinations Required

NAPLEX and MPJE.

Foreign Graduate Examination Total

NAPLEX, MPJE, and FPGEC.

Pharmacist License Renewal Deadline

Licenses expire on December $31^{st}$ yearly (LAC 46:LIII.§505).

Pharmacist Reinstatement Vote

Reinstatement requires written notice and a vote of a majority of the board members present and voting.

Pharmacy Intern Registration Fee

$$50$$

Intern Registration Submission Deadline

Must be submitted no later than the end of the first semester of the first academic year at a board-approved college.

Intern Supervision Restriction (Pharmacy Site)

A pharmacy intern shall not practice in a permitted pharmacy site that is on probation.

Intern Supervision Restriction (Personnel)

An intern may not practice under a pharmacist whose license is on probation with their primary agency.

Intern Registration Expiration (Standard)

Expires $1$ year after the certification of graduation from a board-approved college.

Intern Registration Expiration (Foreign Grads)

Expires $2$ years after the date of issue.

Pharmacist-Intern Ratio (Standard)

$1:1$ (LAC 46:LIII.§709).

Pharmacist-Intern Ratio (Rotation)

$3:1$ during rotations with a board-approved college of pharmacy.

Pharmacy Technician Candidate Age

Must be at least $18$ years old (LAC 46:LIII.§903).

Pharmacy Technician Candidate Eligibility (Method 1)

Proof of enrollment in a nationally accredited and board-approved pharmacy technician training program.

Pharmacy Technician Candidate Eligibility (Method 2)

Proof of high school completion and successful completion of a board-approved technician certification exam.

Pharmacy Technician Candidate App Fee

$$50$$

Pharmacy Technician Certificate App Fee

$$100$$

Tech Candidate Registration Duration

$24$ months; it cannot be renewed.

Tech Certificate Practical Experience Requirement

Acquisition of at least $600$ hours of practical experience under a pharmacist's supervision.

Tech Certificate Reciprocity Requirement

Practicing for at least $1$ year in another state and passing a board-approved certification exam.

Pharmacy Technician Certificate Renewal

Renewed annually on June $30^{th}$ (LAC 46:LIII.§905).

Pharmacy Technician Annual CE Requirement

$10$ hours annually.

Pharmacist-Technician Ratio (Candidates)

$2:1$ Tech candidate to pharmacist ratio.

Pharmacist-Technician Ratio (Tech only)

$3:1$ Technician to pharmacist only if no candidates are on duty.

Pharmacist-Total Staff Ratio

$4:1$ ratio of technicians, interns, and candidates to a single pharmacist.

Board Inspection Authority (Imminent Danger)

The Board shall seize any legend drugs found to constitute an imminent danger to public health.

Pharmacy Environment Requirements

Must be well-lighted, ventilated, climate-controlled, and safely enclosed.

Pharmacy Security Log (Emergency Key)

Must indicate the non-pharmacist user's name, date, time of entry, and the nature of the emergency.

Pharmacy Alarm Requirement (Schedule I/II)

Upon unauthorized entry, the system shall transmit a signal directly to a central protection company, police, or 24-hour control station.

Schedule II Filing Requirement

Prescriptions for Schedule II substances shall be filed separately from all other prescriptions.

Hard Copy Retention Minimum

$2$ years following the most recent transaction (LAC 46:LIII.§1123).

Electronic Prescription System Backups

Must provide for routine backups at least once per day.

Hard Copy Storage Location

Must be retained within the prescription department.

Hours of Operation Signage Location

Posted at the building entrance in full public view from outside the premises (LAC 46:LIII.§1107).

Transfer of Ownership Board Notification

Submit an application to the board office at least $15$ days before closing the transfer.

PIC Absence Closure Sign Dimensions

At least $8\frac{1}{2} \times 11$ inches with lettering at least $1$ inch high.

PIC Absence Closure Sign Wording

PRESCRIPTION DEPARTMENT CLOSED in black letters.

Anticipated Closure Public Notice

Posted not less than $10$ days prior to the anticipated closure date.

PIC Departure Notification Timeframe

Permit holder must notify the board within $30$ days prior to the departure date.

New PIC Appointment Deadline

Designate a new PIC within $10$ days of the departure of the prior PIC.

Licensee Address Change Notification Timeframe

Pharmacists, interns, and technicians must notify the board within $10$ days.

Pharmacy Sink Requirements

A sink with hot and cold running water must be located within the prescription department.

Temporary Pharmacist Absence (Single Break Limit)

Maximum of $30$ minutes at a time (LAC 46:LIII.§1109).

Temporary Pharmacist Absence (Total Daily Limit)

Total of $60$ minutes in a $12$-hour period.

Requirement for Opening During Pharmacist Break

One certified technician or intern must remain in the prescription department.

Drug Cabinet Inspection Frequency

Medications in the drug cabinet must be inspected every $30$ days (LAC 46:LIII.§1517).

Nonresident PIC Practicing Hour Requirement

Present no less than $20$ hours per week, or $50$% of business hours if those hours are less than $20$ per week.

Nonresident Pharmacy Councilor Rule

Must provide a toll-free number for Louisiana residents during office hours for counseling.

New Pharmacy Permit Application Fee

$$525$$

Pharmacy Permit Ownership Transfer Deadline

Notify the board in writing $15$ calendar days prior to transfer.

Ownership Transfer Condition (Corporation)

$50$% or more change in ownership of a corporation or LLC.

New Pharmacy Opening Application Deadline

Submitted not less than $30$ days prior to the anticipated opening.

Minimum Pharmacy Weekly Business Hours

A pharmacy shall be open for business a minimum of $10$ hours per week (LAC 46:LIII.§1107).

Pharmacist Break Rights

No credentialed person is required to practice pharmacy longer than $6$ hours without a rest break.

Louisiana Definition of Compounding

Preparation based on a practitioner's drug order or initiative result of a triple relationship: practitioner/patient/pharmacist.

Anticipatory Compounding Rule

Allowed in anticipation of orders based on routine, regularly observed prescribing patterns.

Compounding of Commercially Available Products

Does not include compounding drug products that are essentially copies of a commercially available product.

Veterinarian Compounding Limit (Distribution)

Pharmacies cannot distribute compounds in excess of $5$% of total drugs dispensed/distributed monthly.

Sterile Compounding ACPE CE Requirement

$1$ hour of board-approved CE related to sterile drug preparation annually.

Copy of Commercial Drug Strength Allowance

Changes in strength of less than $10$% from commercial products are considered prepare-as-copies.

Significant Clinical Difference Formulation Rule

Pharmacies may prepare a variation if the prescriber documents a clinically significant difference on the prescription.

Opium Schedule V Retail Dispensing Limit

$240 \text{ mL or } 48 \text{ dosage units}$ in a $48$-hour period (LAC 46:LIII.§2747).

Non-Opium Schedule V Retail Dispensing Limit

$120 \text{ mL or } 24 \text{ dosage units}$ in a $48$-hour period.

Schedule V Retail Sale Logging

Must record name/address of purchaser, name/quantity of substance, date, and pharmacist initials.

Syringe and Needle Storage

Must be stored in the prescription department or another secure area (LAC 46:LIII.§2509).

Pseudoephedrine 30-Day Purchase Limit

$9 \text{ grams of base material}$ in any $30$-day period (RS 40:1049.3).

Immunization Age Limit: Flu

Patients must be $7$ years of age or older (R.S. 37:§1218).

Immunization Age Limit: Non-Flu ACIP Vaccines

Patients must be $17$ years of age or older (R.S. 37:§1218.1).

Pharmacist Immunization Training Instruction

Minimum of $20$ hours of instruction and experiential training (LAC 46:LIII.§521).

Medication Administration CPR Requirement

Current American Heart Association Basic Cardiac Life Support for Healthcare Providers (CPR).

Emergency Drug Kit (EDK) Permit Renewal

Required annually for each institutional facility-specific kit (LAC 46:LIII.§1711).

EDK Access Notification Rule

The pharmacist must be notified within $24$ hours when the EDK is opened.

EDK Controlled Substance Counting Rule

Shift counts must be performed by nursing staff until the kit is resealed by the pharmacist.