SENATE BILL REPORT
SB 5019
As of January 22, 2025
Title: An act relating to permitting medications packaged and delivered from the manufacturer in quantities larger than 96 hours of doses to be distributed under existing prepack medication law.
Brief Description: Concerning prepacked medication distribution.
Sponsors: Senators Chapman, Bateman, Christian, Dhingra, Harris, Riccelli, Salda?a, Slatter and Wellman.
Brief History:
Committee Activity: Health & Long-Term Care: 1/23/25.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Permits hospital and health care entities to dispense prepacked drugs in quantities larger than a 96-hour dose under certain circumstances.?
SENATE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH & LONG-TERM CARE
Staff: Greg Attanasio (786-7410)
Background:

Hospitals may dispense prepackaged emergency medications to patients being discharged from a hospital emergency department when:

  • community or outpatient hospital pharmacy?services are not available within 15 miles by road;
  • a patient has no reasonable ability to reach the local community or outpatient pharmacy; or
  • a patient is identified as needing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) postexposure prophylaxis drugs or therapies.

?

A hospital may only allow this practice after it develops certain policies and procedures, including establishing a quantity dispensing limit of no more than a 48-hour supply of a drug, except when community or hospital pharmacy services will not be available within 48 hours, or when antibiotics or HIV postexposure prophylaxis drugs or therapies are required.?

?

A health care entity may only administer, dispense, or deliver legend drugs and controlled substances to patients who receive care within the health care entity. A health care provider providing care to a patient at the health care entity may only dispense drugs to the patient in an amount not to exceed 72 hours of usage.?

?

"Health care entity" means an organization that provides health care services in a setting that is not otherwise licensed by the state to acquire or possess legend drugs. Health care entity includes a freestanding outpatient surgery center, a residential treatment facility, and a freestanding cardiac care center. Health care entity does not include an individual practitioner's office or a multipractitioner clinic.?
Summary of Bill:

Hospitals may dispense prepackaged emergency medications to patients being discharged from a hospital emergency department when community or outpatient hospital pharmacy services are not available within 15 miles within Washington by road.

?

A hospital may dispense more than a 48-hour supply of a drug under statutorily defined circumstances when:

  • community or hospital outpatient pharmacy services will not be available within 48 hours;
  • anti-infectives or HIV postexposure prophylaxis drugs or therapies are required; or
  • drugs or therapies are packaged directly by the manufacturer in quantities larger than 48 hours.

?

The prohibition on a health care entity dispensing more than a 72-hour supply of drugs to a patient does not apply when:

  • community or hospital outpatient pharmacy services will not be available within 72 hours;
  • anti-infectives or HIV postexposure prophylaxis drugs or therapies are required; or
  • drugs or therapies are packaged directly by the manufacturer in quantities larger than 72 hours.?
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Requested on January 14, 2025.
Creates Committee/Commission/Task Force that includes Legislative members: No.
Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.