March 21, 2025

Share Your Opposition to Expanded Pharmacist Prescriptive Authority

The Washington State Department of Health is conducting a sunrise review of House Bill 2116, which would expand prescriptive authority for pharmacists. The bill, brought forward by the Washington State Pharmacy Association, would move our state away from the collaborative drug therapy agreement currently being utilized and would instead grant the Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission the ability to determine a pharmacist's prescriptive authority. We are not aware of any precedent in our state for this level of legislative delegation of authority for setting scope of practice to a board or commission.

The proposal contemplates pharmacists treating "minor ailments, initiating and modifying treatment for chronic conditions, providing preventative care, and managing emergency situations that present in a pharmacy." There are no specifically stipulated additional education or training requirements for pharmacists providing these services.

We have concerns not limited to patient safety and care coordination, as this proposal doesn't include any meaningful safeguards. Furthermore, the Legislature-not a regulatory board-is responsible for setting a profession's scope of practice, and this bill would set a precedent for both the practice of pharmacy and other professions.

Written comments are due back to the DOH by April 1. If you share our opposition to this proposal, we encourage you to share your comments by emailing the department of health. The DOH will also be holding a public hearing on the proposal on Wednesday, March 14 at 1 p.m. via Zoom. If you have questions on this sunrise review or how to best engage, please contact WSMA Associate Policy Director Billie Dickinson.