Here is a list of 2017 regulations that affect your pharmacy practice this year.

Gender toilet facilities, AB 1732: Commencing Mar. 1, 2017 all single-use bathrooms (designated for no more than one occupant at a time or for family or assisted use) must be identified as all-gender by signage that complies with Title 24 of California Code of Regulations.

Certified Access Specialist Program, AB 2093: All rental agreements executed on or after Jan. 1, 2017 must state whether the premises have been inspected by a Certified Access Specialist.

Pharmacist Services, AB 1114: requires Medi-Cal to cover certain pharmacist services including furnishing travel medication, naloxone, and self-administered hormonal contraception, initiating and administering immunizations, and providing tobacco cessation counseling and furnishing nicotine replacement therapy. DHCS must pay pharmacists at 85% of the Medi-Cal physician fee schedule.

Prescription drugs, AB 1069, Collection and distribution program: authorizes a pharmacy which exists solely to operate an existing county-operated prescription drug collection and distribution program to repackage donated medicine in anticipation of dispensing the medicine to its patient population. The bill requires the pharmacy to have repackaging policies and procedures for identifying and recalling medications, and requires the repackaged medication to be labeled with the earliest expiration date.

CURES, AB 482: requires authorized prescribers to consult CURES prior to prescribing Schedules II-IV for the first time to a patient and at least once every four months in case of a continuing treatment. A prescriber does not need to consult CURES for an inpatient or hospice patient.

Pharmacy Law changes, SB 1193: extends the operation of the Board of Pharmacy and makes a number of changes to the Board’s oversight of licensees. For more, please go to: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1193

Home-generated pharmaceutical waste, SB 1229: provides limited protection from civil and criminal liability for entities engaged in drug take-back collection.

Confidential Communication, AB 1671: makes it a crime to intentionally disclose or distribute the contents of a confidential communication with a health care provider after illegally obtaining it.

Personal Information, privacy, breach, AB 2828: requires a notice to a person whose encrypted personal information was acquired by an unauthorized person if the encryption key was also acquired.