Ask Mike - Bubble wrap medications

Dear Forced to Pharmacy,

You write that that your mom lives in an assisted living facility and that recently she has had to go to a higher care level whereby agency staff now order and dispense her medications. Because of this change, the agency is saying that she can no longer use the mail-order pharmacy company because they do not bubble-wrap the individual doses of medication. Instead they want her to use a local pharmacy that will do the bubble wrapping of her medications. You are concerned about this because it will cost a lot more money, 16 times what she has been paying. You wonder if they can require this as a matter of state law or if they are just doing this for their own administrative convenience.

Regrettably, there is a valid reason for this requirement. It isn't a specific law, but rather the requirement is found in the Nurse Practice Act, the law governing the practice of nursing in the state. Only an RN (or physician) can actually figure dosage even when it is something as simple as opening a pill bottle, reading the label and then counting out the proper pill, or number of pills. Additionally, assisted living facilities, unlike nursing facilities, are not licensed to acquire and store bulk medicines for the residents.

The only idea I can think of would be for a family member to keep and administer the medicine. For example, family members are exempt from the Nurse Practice Act in Kansas. Otherwise, some of the mail-order, bulk pharmacies do the bubble-wrap service. It's just a matter of finding which ones will do it and at what cost.

If I can find a company, or companies, that will provide this service, I will follow-up and contact you directly.

Mike Oxford