SACRAMENTO >> One of the bills signed by Governor Jerry Brown was AB 401, authored by Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, into law. This bill authorizes the use of “telepharmacy” health technology in California for the first time.
In rural areas of California where there are often no pharmacies or pharmacists, people have limited access to their medications. AB 401 will change this by allowing “remote dispensing pharmacies” to open and utilize telepharmacy in areas where there are no pharmacies within 10 miles.
Telepharmacy works by connecting a licensed pharmacist in one location to a remote dispensing pharmacy in another. The remote site is staffed by an advanced pharmacy technician, who is virtually supervised by the licensed pharmacist. Through telepharmacy software, patients receive live, interactive video counseling directly from the pharmacist when they pick up their prescriptions.
According to Aguiar-Curry, “Allowing telepharmacy to be used in parts of the state without convenient access to a pharmacy provides opportunities for better patient education, increased medication adherence, and improved overall health outcomes. I worked hard to ensure this bill promotes safe use of pharmaceuticals and accessibility for these areas of our state.”
The means to provide better access to a pharmacist and pharmaceutical care throughout California are available today. Other states have successfully implemented telepharmacy programs, which benefit thousands of underserved patients across the country. AB 401 will help patients in California to access the medications they need.
“I am excited that Governor Brown also sees the value that telepharmacy can provide in California,” said Aguiar-Curry. “People living in pharmacy-deprived areas, whether rural or urban, face many barriers to obtaining comprehensive medical care.”
