Sec.20-576-18a. Unscheduled closing of the prescription department or the pharmacy

(a) (1) A pharmacy that has received approval from the commission, in accordance with section 20-576-17 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies, to close the prescription department during specified hours, may close the prescription department during its posted hours of operation only if the pharmacist who was scheduled to work cannot do so and a replacement pharmacist cannot reasonably be scheduled to work.

(2) If the prescription department of a pharmacy is closed under the provisions of subsection (a)(1) of this section, the pharmacy shall comply with the requirements of section 20-576-18 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies and the following:

(A) The pharmacy shall implement procedures to notify patients of the pharmacy who need prescriptions dispensed where these prescriptions, including refills, can be obtained immediately. Such procedures may include, but are not limited to, telephone system messages and conspicuously posted signs;

(B) the prescription department of a pharmacy shall not be closed more than one calendar day for any one such closing;

(C) the prescription department of a pharmacy shall not be closed more than eighteen times in a three hundred sixty-five day period or more than twice in any thirty-day period; and

(D) the pharmacist manager shall report each such closing of the prescription department to the commission not later than seventy-two hours after the closing.

(b) (1) A pharmacy that is operated in a store, firm or other business not devoted primarily to the operation of a pharmacy, in accordance with section 20-576-16 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies, may close the pharmacy during its posted hours of operation only if the pharmacist who was scheduled to work cannot do so and a replacement pharmacist cannot reasonably be scheduled to work.

(2) If the pharmacy is closed under the provisions of subsection (b)(1) of this section, the pharmacy shall comply with the requirements of section 20-576-16 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies and the following:

(A) The pharmacy shall implement procedures to notify patients of the pharmacy who need prescriptions dispensed where these prescriptions, including refills, can be obtained immediately. Such procedures may include, but are not limited to, telephone system messages and conspicuously posted signs;

(B) the pharmacy shall not be closed more than one calendar day for any one such closing;

(C) the pharmacy shall not be closed more than eighteen times in a three hundred sixty-five day period or more than twice in any thirty-day period; and

(D) the pharmacist manager shall report each such closing of the pharmacy to the commission not later than seventy-two hours after the closing.

(c) A pharmacy that is not required to post its hours of operation, but closes the pharmacy during its normal hours of operation, shall implement procedures to notify patients of the pharmacy who need prescriptions dispensed where these prescriptions, including refills, can be obtained immediately. Such procedures may include, but are not limited to, telephone system messages and conspicuously posted signs.

(Adopted effective August 2, 2001)