§ 131E-128.4.  Nursing home pharmacy reports; duties of consultant pharmacist.

(a) The consultant pharmacist for a nursing home shall conduct a drug regimen review for actual and potential drug therapy problems in the nursing home and make remedial or preventive clinical recommendations into the medical record of every patient receiving medication. The consultant pharmacist shall conduct the review at least monthly in accordance with the nursing home's policies and procedures.

(b) The consultant pharmacist shall report and document any drug irregularities and clinical recommendations promptly to the attending physician or nurse-in-charge and the nursing home administrator. The reports shall include problems identified and recommendations concerning:

(1) Drug therapy that may be affected by biological agents, laboratory tests, special dietary requirements, and foods used or administered concomitantly with other medication to the same recipient.

(2) Monitoring for potential adverse effects.

(3) Allergies.

(4) Drug interactions, including interactions between prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs, drugs and disease, and interactions between drugs and nutrients.

(5) Contraindications and precautions.

(6) Potential therapeutic duplication.

(7) Overextended length of treatment of certain drugs typically prescribed for a short period of time.

(8) Beer's listed drugs that are potentially inappropriate for use by elderly persons.

(9) Undertreatment or medical conditions that are suboptimally treated or not treated at all that warrant additional drug therapy to ensure quality of care.

(10) Other identified problems and recommendations.

(c) The consultant pharmacist shall report drug product defects and adverse drug reactions in accordance with the ASHSP-USP-FDA Drug Product Defect Reporting System and the USP Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting System. The term "ASHSP-USP-FDA" means American Society of Health System Pharmacists-United States Pharmacopoeia-Food and Drug Administration. Information released to the ASHSP-USP-FDA retains its confidentiality and is not subject to discovery or use in any civil action as provided under G.S. 131E-128.1.

(d) The consultant pharmacist shall ensure that all known allergies and adverse effects are documented in plain view in the patient's medical record, including the medication administration records, and communicated to the dispensing pharmacy. The specific medications and the type of allergy or adverse reaction shall be specified in the documentation.

(e) The consultant pharmacist shall ensure that drugs that are not specifically limited as to duration of use or number of doses shall be controlled by automatic stop orders. The consultant pharmacist shall further ensure that the prescribing provider is notified of the automatic stop order prior to the dispensing of the last dose so that the provider may decide whether to continue to use the drug.

(f) The consultant pharmacist shall, on a quarterly basis, submit a summary of the reports submitted under subsections (a) and (b) of this section to the medication management advisory committee established under G.S. 131E-128.1. The summary shall not include any information that would identify a patient, a family member, or an employee of the nursing home. The purpose of the summary shall be to facilitate the identification and analysis of weaknesses in the nursing home's pharmaceutical care system that have an adverse impact on patient safety. (2003-393, s. 1.)