What's happening
This bill allows pharmacies to store and dispense prescribed medications in automated dispensing machines at nursing homes or residential health care facilities.
Why it matters
Improves medication access and safety for residents. By allowing pharmacies to use automated dispensing machines within nursing homes and residential health care facilities, residents can get their prescribed medications more quickly and consistently, reducing delays and potential medication errors.
Modernizes pharmacy operations. The bill updates the legal definition of a pharmacy to include those that use automated dispensing systems on-site in care facilities, encouraging the adoption of newer technologies that streamline medication management and oversight.
Potentially reduces staff workload and errors. Automated dispensing machines can help facility staff by simplifying medication tracking, inventory, and administration processes, which may decrease the risk of mistakes and ease the burden on caregivers.
Strengthens regulatory oversight and accountability. Because only registered pharmacies with formal agreements can operate these machines, the bill ensures that medication storage and dispensing in care facilities remain subject to professional and state regulatory standards.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Allow Pharmacy Dispensing Machines
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to higher education
- Referred to higher education
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Allow Pharmacy Medicine Machines
In Senate Committee · Higher Education · Sponsor Gustavo Rivera
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7806
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 23, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. GOTTFRIED -- read once and referred to the Committee on Higher Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to permitting pharmacies to store prescribed medications in automated dispensing machines
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 6802 of the education law, as amended by chapter 538 of the laws of 2001, is amended to read as follows:
1. "Pharmacy" means (a) any place in which drugs, prescriptions or poisons are possessed for the purpose of compounding, preserving, dispensing or retailing, or in which drugs, prescriptions or poisons are compounded, preserved, dispensed or retailed, or in which such drugs, prescriptions or poisons are by advertising or otherwise offered for sale at retail[.]; and (b) a pharmacy registered by the department, and based upon a contractual arrangement with a nursing home or residential health care facility as defined in section twenty-eight hundred one of the public health law, may store prescribed medications at such facility in an automated dispensing machine and dispense such medications for the sole use of the facility's residents.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11860-02-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.