What’s happening: Certain provisions in Assembly Bill (AB) 1286 (Haney, D-San Francisco) become effective Jan. 1, 2024. The California State Board of Pharmacy encourages licensees to immediately take steps for compliance.
What else to know: The new law establishes a requirement for the reporting of medication errors that occur in the outpatient setting to an entity that will be approved by the board. The Enforcement and Compounding Committee (ECC) will begin its evaluation of entities in the coming months.
During this intervening period, reporting of errors is not required and will not be retroactive. It is anticipated that reporting will only be expected after approval of the entity followed by an appropriate transition period for implementation.
AB 1286 also establishes a self-assessment process for surgical clinics. Development of the self-assessment form will be undertaken by the ECC. Upon approval of the form, the board will advise licensees and make the form available on its website. During this intervening period, completion of the form requirement will be delayed.
Interested stakeholders are encouraged to participate in relevant public meetings.
The board recognizes there may be delays in achieving compliance by Jan. 1, 2024. During the implementation period, the board will consider actions taken to secure compliance when areas of non-compliance are identified through the inspection or investigation process. The board encourages licensees to maintain documentation of actions taken to achieve compliance and to present such information to the board upon request.