Innovations-Magazine-April-2023 - 17

INTERVIEW WITH A BOARD MEMBER
Adam Rodgers, RPh, DPh
Member, Tennessee Board of Pharmacy
When were you appointed to the
Board of Pharmacy? What type of
member are you?
I was appointed to the Board in September
2017. I am a pharmacist member and
immediate past president of the Board.
Tennessee
Board of Pharmacy
Number of Board
Members
6 pharmacist members
and 1 public member
Number of
Compliance
Officers/Inspectors
5
Rules & Regulations
Established by
State Board of
Pharmacy
What steps should a board member
take to be successful in their role?
Always remember that your first responsibility
is the safety of the public. Also, communicate
with your fellow board members. I have
learned many things from my peers. One
of our members was the director of a health
care system and had extensive experience in
hospital settings and institution practice. I have
been a retail pharmacist my entire career, so
I was not as familiar with many institutional
issues. I listened to her and asked her to
explain to me how a rule would impact her
side of the practice of pharmacy. I think the
key is leaning on fellow board members to
learn about areas of the practice of pharmacy
that you might not be as skilled in. Finally,
attend all the NABP meetings that you can,
because many ideas are shared at these events.
Number of
Pharmacist
Licensees
12,556
Number of
Pharmacies
2,928
Number of
Wholesale
Distributors
2,345
What are some recent policies
or regulations that your Board is
currently working on?
The Board has proposed a rule to eliminate
the pharmacy technician-to-pharmacist ratio
if the technicians are nationally certified.
Currently, Tennessee has a ratio of two
technicians to one pharmacist-in-charge
(PIC). A pharmacy can have a ratio of
four technicians to one PIC if two of the
technicians are certified. Under the new rule,
the technician-to-pharmacist ratio would
remain two to one if none of the technicians
are certified, but if any of the technicians are
certified, the technician-to-pharmacist ratio
would be unlimited and at the discretion of
the PIC and depend on how many technicians
the PIC feels comfortable supervising.
We also recently began a review of our
current rules to both streamline them and
bring them up to date. If you look at the
definition of drug utilization review (DUR)
in Tennessee, for instance, it says that a
DUR must be performed in a pharmacy.
Back when that rule was accepted, we did
not have electronic medical records or
computer systems that could communicate
between stores. Pharmacy records were kept
in pharmacies. Today, we know that this is
not necessarily the case. Pharmacists who
were giving on-site coronavirus disease 2019
vaccinations had the technology to pull up
DURs wherever they were.
Has the Board encountered any
challenges to implementing these
new regulations?
The biggest challenge to implementing new
rules is the Tennessee legislative process. Our
rules must be approved by a joint committee of
the Tennessee General Assembly, which can be
a very time-consuming process. For example,
we began drafting the proposed pharmacy
technician-to-pharmacist ratio rule in 2018,
and it is still in review. We are hoping it goes in
front of the joint subcommittee for rules and
regulations by June 2023.
What advice would you give to
a new Board member?
First, never be afraid to speak up - your voice
matters. You have something to add, or you
would not be on the board of pharmacy.
Being a new member can cause you to
be timid at first, which is okay. Go to as
many NABP Annual Meetings and district
meetings as you can - they are key. You will
network, learn from others, and partner
with others when looking at rule changes
and topics that come up in your states.
Have you served as a member of any
NABP task forces or committees, or
attended NABP or district meetings?
I have attended several NABP Annual
Meetings and District 3 meetings. These
venues allow for the sharing of ideas as well
as networking. When working on rules at
our Tennessee meetings, knowing how other
states have addressed the issue often gives
us a starting point.
APRIL 2023 | 15
Innovations-Magazine-April-2023

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