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Posted
June 05, 2009

Ohio Senate bill would require pharmacy staff to report errors

A bill introduced in the Ohio Senate would criminalize pharmacy staff who do not report errors to the state Board of Pharmacy (Source: “Ohio bill would criminalize non-reporting of serious pharmacy mistakes,” MedCity News, June 3, 2009).

If pharmacists, pharmacy interns or technicians fail to report a mistake within two weeks, they would be charged with a fourth-degree misdemeanor under the proposed law. The bill has been referred to the Senate Health, Human Services and Aging Committee.

“I want this to be a measure for the pharmacy board so they can take remedial corrective action to help avoid serious physical harm or death,” said Sen. Tim Grendell, the bill’s sponsor.

Grendell also sponsored Emily’s Law, a bill passed last year that creates licensing and minimum education standards for pharmacy technicians. The law was named for Emily Jerry, a 2-year-old from Cuyahoga County who died in 2006 because of an error made by a pharmacy technician.

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