Sec.20-576-74. Definitions

As used in this section and sections 20-576-75 to 20-576-79, inclusive, of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies:

(1) “Central dispensing pharmacy” means a licensed pharmacy that acts as an agent of or under contract with an originating pharmacy to dispense a prescription;

(2) “Delivery” means the process of transferring a dispensed prescription that has been through final prescription verification to a patient or patient’s representative;

(3) “Direct supervision” has the same meaning as provided in section 20-598a(b) of the Connecticut General Statutes;

(4) “Dispense” has the same meaning as provided in section 20-571 of the Connecticut General Statutes;

(5) “Drug utilization review” or “DUR” or “Drug utilization review program” means an authorized and structured review of prescribing, dispensing, and utilization of drugs by a licensed pharmacist before, during, and after dispensing a prescription to ensure appropriate drug decision-making and positive patient outcomes. Such review includes, but is not limited to, the prospective and retrospective utilization reviews mandated by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1990, as amended from time to time;

(6) “Final prescription verification” means the last review of a prescription by a licensed pharmacist prior to approving such prescription for delivery to a patient or patient’s representative, after such review and approval the prescription is considered dispensed. Such review includes, but is not limited to, the original prescription, the contents of the prescription label, and the contents of the prescription container to ensure accuracy of a prescription;

(7) “Licensed pharmacy” means a pharmacy that is either licensed pursuant to section 20-594 of the Connecticut General Statutes or a nonresident pharmacy as defined in and operated in accordance with section 20-627 of the Connecticut General Statutes;

(8) “Licensed pharmacist” means a pharmacist either licensed pursuant to section 20-593 of the Connecticut General Statutes or licensed as a pharmacist in any other state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States;

(9) “Order entry” means the process by which pharmacy personnel enter prescription data into a licensed pharmacy’s software system. Such data includes, but is not limited to, patient demographics, drug name and strength, drug quantity, the directions for use, the number of times the prescription may be refilled, including the use of refill terms “PRN” and “ad lib” in lieu of a specific number of authorized refills, and any required cautionary statements;

(10) “Order entry verification” means the process by which a licensed pharmacist verifies prescription data entered in a licensed pharmacy’s software system after order entry has been completed and prior to final prescription verification;

(11) “Originating pharmacy” means a licensed pharmacy that accepts a prescription for dispensing to a patient or patient’s representative, either on its own or through the use of a central dispensing pharmacy;

(12) “Prescription” means a lawful order of a prescribing practitioner transmitted either orally, in writing or by electronic means for a drug or device for a specific patient;

(13) “Pharmacy personnel” means either a licensed pharmacist, a registered pharmacy intern, or a registered pharmacy technician;

(14) “Registered pharmacy intern” means a pharmacy intern registered pursuant to section 20-598 of the Connecticut General Statutes or registered as a pharmacy intern in any other state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States;

(15) “Registered pharmacy technician” means a pharmacy technician registered pursuant to section 20-598a of the Connecticut General Statutes or registered as a pharmacy technician in any other state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States;

(16) “Remote order entry” means order entry that is conducted from a location other than the physical premises of an originating pharmacy;

(17) “Remote order entry verification” means order entry verification that is conducted from a location other than the physical premises of an originating pharmacy;

(18) “Shared pharmacy services” means a system by which two or more licensed pharmacies process or dispense a prescription; and

(19) “Shipping record” means a record that contains all shipping information for a specific shipment. Such information includes, but is not limited to, each item contained in a shipment.

(Effective February 18, 2022)