The Florida Senate

“Administration” means the obtaining and giving of a single dose of medicinal drugs by a legally authorized person to a patient for her or his consumption.

“Board” means the Board of Pharmacy.

“Consultant pharmacist” means a pharmacist licensed by the department and certified as a consultant pharmacist pursuant to s. 465.0125.

“Data communication device” means an electronic device that receives electronic information from one source and transmits or routes it to another, including, but not limited to, any such bridge, router, switch, or gateway.

“Department” means the Department of Health.

“Dispense” means the transfer of possession of one or more doses of a medicinal drug by a pharmacist to the ultimate consumer or her or his agent. As an element of dispensing, the pharmacist shall, prior to the actual physical transfer, interpret and assess the prescription order for potential adverse reactions, interactions, and dosage regimen she or he deems appropriate in the exercise of her or his professional judgment, and the pharmacist shall certify that the medicinal drug called for by the prescription is ready for transfer. The pharmacist shall also provide counseling on proper drug usage, either orally or in writing, if in the exercise of her or his professional judgment counseling is necessary. The actual sales transaction and delivery of such drug shall not be considered dispensing. The administration shall not be considered dispensing.

“Institutional formulary system” means a method whereby the medical staff evaluates, appraises, and selects those medicinal drugs or proprietary preparations which in the medical staff’s clinical judgment are most useful in patient care, and which are available for dispensing by a practicing pharmacist in a Class II institutional pharmacy.

“Medicinal drugs” or “drugs” means those substances or preparations commonly known as “prescription” or “legend” drugs which are required by federal or state law to be dispensed only on a prescription, but shall not include patents or proprietary preparations as hereafter defined.

“Patent or proprietary preparation” means a medicine in its unbroken, original package which is sold to the public by, or under the authority of, the manufacturer or primary distributor thereof and which is not misbranded under the provisions of the Florida Drug and Cosmetic Act.

“Pharmacist” means any person licensed pursuant to this chapter to practice the profession of pharmacy.

“Pharmacy intern” means a person who is currently registered in, and attending, a duly accredited college or school of pharmacy, or who is a graduate of such a school or college of pharmacy, and who is duly and properly registered with the department as provided for under its rules.

“Practice of the profession of pharmacy” includes compounding, dispensing, and consulting concerning contents, therapeutic values, and uses of any medicinal drug; consulting concerning therapeutic values and interactions of patent or proprietary preparations, whether pursuant to prescriptions or in the absence and entirely independent of such prescriptions or orders; and other pharmaceutical services. For purposes of this subsection, “other pharmaceutical services” means the monitoring of the patient’s drug therapy and assisting the patient in the management of his or her drug therapy, and includes review of the patient’s drug therapy and communication with the patient’s prescribing health care provider as licensed under chapter 458, chapter 459, chapter 461, or chapter 466, or similar statutory provision in another jurisdiction, or such provider’s agent or such other persons as specifically authorized by the patient, regarding the drug therapy. However, nothing in this subsection may be interpreted to permit an alteration of a prescriber’s directions, the diagnosis or treatment of any disease, the initiation of any drug therapy, the practice of medicine, or the practice of osteopathic medicine, unless otherwise permitted by law. “Practice of the profession of pharmacy” also includes any other act, service, operation, research, or transaction incidental to, or forming a part of, any of the foregoing acts, requiring, involving, or employing the science or art of any branch of the pharmaceutical profession, study, or training, and shall expressly permit a pharmacist to transmit information from persons authorized to prescribe medicinal drugs to their patients. The practice of the profession of pharmacy also includes the administration of influenza virus immunizations to adults pursuant to s. 465.189.

“Prescription” includes any order for drugs or medicinal supplies written or transmitted by any means of communication by a duly licensed practitioner authorized by the laws of the state to prescribe such drugs or medicinal supplies and intended to be dispensed by a pharmacist. The term also includes an orally transmitted order by the lawfully designated agent of such practitioner. The term also includes an order written or transmitted by a practitioner licensed to practice in a jurisdiction other than this state, but only if the pharmacist called upon to dispense such order determines, in the exercise of her or his professional judgment, that the order is valid and necessary for the treatment of a chronic or recurrent illness. The term “prescription” also includes a pharmacist’s order for a product selected from the formulary created pursuant to s. 465.186. Prescriptions may be retained in written form or the pharmacist may cause them to be recorded in a data processing system, provided that such order can be produced in printed form upon lawful request.

“Nuclear pharmacist” means a pharmacist licensed by the department and certified as a nuclear pharmacist pursuant to s. 465.0126.

“Centralized prescription filling” means the filling of a prescription by one pharmacy upon request by another pharmacy to fill or refill the prescription. The term includes the performance by one pharmacy for another pharmacy of other pharmacy duties such as drug utilization review, therapeutic drug utilization review, claims adjudication, and the obtaining of refill authorizations.

“Automated pharmacy system” means a mechanical system that delivers prescription drugs received from a Florida licensed pharmacy and maintains related transaction information.