Pharmacy Access Partnership
On April 25, 2022 Alaska became the third state to permit
pharmacists to provide EC under collaborative protocol with a prescriber.
As with both California and Washington, pharmacist scope of practice in Alaska pertaining to EC has its own characteristics. Below is a summary of Alaska’s new regulations pertaining to EC, with text in italics providing a comparison with California and Washington states.
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Collaborative protocols may be with either a MD or
Nurse practitioner.
Comment: Similar to Washington,
but different from California where only MD’s may enter into a collaborative
protocol with a pharmacist.
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Protocols must first be approved by the State Board
of Pharmacy.
Comment: Similar
to WA, but not CA where Board approval is not required.
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Protocols are limited to two years, and then must be
resubmitted to the State Board for renewal.
Comment: Same as
WA, but not CA where protocols have no specified time limit.
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Regulations require pharmacists to have training on
EC – Alaska’s recommended pharmacy training program is the online
EC program at www.aphanet.org
Comment: Similar training requirements exist for CA
and WA, although both states, possibly because of their less rural nature,
favor live programs.
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Regulations require a plan for providing authorizing
practitioner with EC patient information, and stipulate a quarterly review
process.
Comment: Similar to
WA, which requires aggregate information to be sent quarterly to prescriber,
but not CA where law is very general on issue of review and documentation.
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Protocols may apply to whole community including
individuals with no established relationship with a provider, although
prescriber can establish limits.
Comment:
Theoretically, the same is true for both CA and WA, although to my
knowledge, neither state has implemented restrictions on EC protocols.