Colorado Board of Pharmacy New State Protocols

New State Protocols Coming Soon

Effective March 17, 2017, as a result of Senate Bill 16-135, new opportunities will exist for the expansion of pharmacy practice in Colorado. The new law defines collaborative pharmacy practice and allows for the development of statewide drug therapy protocols to be carried out by qualified pharmacists. Statewide protocols are intended to help meet Colorado’s public health needs and are achieved through collaboration among the Boards of Pharmacy, Nursing and Medicine, and in conjunction with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). We anticipate statewide protocols will largely take place in community pharmacy settings and believe these protocols could profoundly change access to care for patients.

The Board of Pharmacy passed rules to implement the new changes. The new Rule 17.00.00, Collaborative Pharmacy Practice, includes the specifics of each statewide protocol, and delineates the requirements for all pharmacists who may participate in these protocols. Please note that Rule 6.00.00 is still in existence for collaborative drug therapy management practice (CDTM).  

To date, the following two statewide protocols have been approved and go into effect March 17, 2017:

• self-administered hormonal contraception (pills and patches)
• smoking cessation therapy (all FDA-approved medications including prescription nicotine replacement, bupropion and varenicline)

Under these statewide protocols, pharmacists with the required training may dispense medications pursuant to these protocols. The detailed protocols can be found under Rule 17.00.00. Under this new law, future protocols may be developed to address a variety of public health issues.

The following three documents are not in effect until March 17, 2017. They are provided as a courtesy to help Colorado pharmacists become familiar with the protocols. For a copy of the Board of Pharmacy Rules currently in effect, please see the Board of Pharmacy Laws, Rules and Policies webpage.

• State Board of Pharmacy Rules (Effective 3/17/17)
• Appendix A - Protocol for Prescribing Hormonal Contraceptive Patches and Oral Contraceptives
• Appendix B - Protocol for Dispensing Tobacco Cessation Products

source Colorado State Board of Pharmacy page at https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/dora/Pharmacy_News#NewProtocols