Under IC 4-22-2-24, notice is hereby given that on November 16, 2007, at 1:30 p.m., at the Indiana Government Center-South, 402 West Washington Street, Room W064, Indianapolis, Indiana, the Indiana Board of Pharmacy will hold a public hearing on proposed rules concerning the establishment of standards applicable to all pharmacies and facilities that utilize and rely on automation technology to store, package, dispense, and distribute prescriptions or medication orders. The proposed rules define "automated medication system".

This proposed rule establishes standards applicable to all pharmacies and facilities that utilize and rely on automation technology. These systems are utilized by pharmacy benefit management companies, pharmacies, hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and nursing care facilities. These systems enable providers to produce medication doses for patients, track supply and drug utilization, and increase security. The systems automatically generate reports covering inventory, drug dispensing, discrepancies, billing, and medication delivery. The proposed rule does not mandate the use of automated medication systems by any entity. The rule will not affect those pharmacies and facilities utilizing automatic counting machines and unit dose dispensing equipment such as are typically found in small retail pharmacies. The cost of automated dispensing derives principally from the capital investment of renting or purchasing equipment for dispensing, labeling, and tracking. Expenses can be offset by reduced numbers of personnel needed to perform these functions, decreased drug waste, reduction in medication dispensing time, and improved billing efficiency. Since the rule does not mandate the use of automated medication systems, businesses will incur reporting, record keeping, and other costs associated with automated medication systems only if they elect to rent or purchase the equipment.

Copies of these rules are now on file at the Indiana Government Center-South, 402 West Washington Street, Room W072 and Legislative Services Agency, One North Capitol, Suite 325, Indianapolis, Indiana and are open for public inspection.