Board Highlights - April 20, 2018

BOARD HIGHLIGHTS - april 20, 2018

Highlights from this meeting include the amendment and repeal of four Professional Practice Policies; the results of an evaluation of the College's community pharmacy security provisions; presentations by the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use and representatives of both UBC Pharmaceutical Sciences and SFU Criminology; and PODSA fee and form amendments being posted for public comment.

Amending and Repealing Multiple Professional Practice Policies 

The Board approved  minor amendments to two Professional Practice Policies (PPPs): 

PPP-3: Pharmacy References 
This policy sets out the references (e.g. medical dictionaries, etc.) that pharmacies must have. 

Amendments to this policy include: 

• Updates to outdated references 
• Formatting and general wording changes 
• Removing duplication 
• Removing the section on “suppliers/sources” due to the high number of supply sources 

PPP-74: Community Pharmacy Security
This policy provides guidance to community pharmacies on complying with the community pharmacy security requirements. 

Amendments made were primarily to include telepharmacies in this policy. 

The Board also approved the repeal of the following two Professional Practice Policies:  

PPP-26: Pharmacy Distribution of Alternative and Complementary Health Products
This policy references requirements for pharmacists (e.g. understanding the indications and contraindications, etc.) when selling alterative and complementary health products. 

The Board approved the repeal of PPP-26 because the requirements in this policy are duplicative of existing requirements. 

PPP-32: Multi-Dose Vials
This policy outlines requirements regarding returning multi-dose vials and the handling of these types of prescriptions. 

The Board approved the repeal of PPP-32 as the requirements largely pertain to physicians and to remove duplication of existing requirements regarding the return and reuse of drugs.  

PODSA Fee and Form Amendments Posted for Public Comment

The College Board also approved amendments to the Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Act (PODSA) Bylaws Schedule A – Fee Schedule and related forms for public posting. 

The fee increases (2.2% increase in annual pharmacy licensure fees) stated on the Fee Schedule and related forms were previously approved as part of the College’s 2018/2019 budget. These nominal increases allow the College to continue to fund its operations and strategic plan activities.

Further information on the College’s 2018/19 budget is available in the February 2018 Minutes.

Share your comments by until July 19, 2018.

Evaluation of the Community Pharmacy Security Provisions 

Public Board Member and Chair of the Legislation Review Committee, Jeremy Walden, provided the Board with a brief overview of the College’s current pharmacy security bylaws, as well as a chronology of the community pharmacy security measures implemented by the College, since 2013. 

This was followed by a presentation from Dr. Martin Andresen, Professor of Criminology and Director of the Institute for Canadian Urban Research Studies at Simon Fraser University. Dr. Andresen presented findings from his evaluation of the College’s pharmacy security requirements and their effect on pharmacy robberies in BC. 

The evaluation found strong evidence that the bylaw and policy changes had their intended effect across the province, most notably in Vancouver where the majority of pharmacy robberies occurred. In Vancouver, there was an immediate and substantial drop (85-95%) in pharmacy robberies after the College’s pharmacy security requirements took effect.

Vancouver Police Department
Staff Sergeant Stephen Thacker from the Vancouver Police Department also shared his experience with the development of the pharmacy security measures, and the results and impact of these requirements in Vancouver.

Excellence Canada Update 

The College’s Chief Operating Officer, Mary O’Callaghan, provided the Board with an update on the progress made by the College in its plans for achieving the Silver Certification with Excellence Canada. 

Excellence Canada is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to developing standards for, as well as certifying and recognizing organizational excellence across all sectors in Canada. The College partnered with Excellence Canada in December of 2016, selecting the Excellence, Innovation and Wellness (EIW) Standard, one of the most progressive in the world. 

5 Drivers of the Excellence, Innovation and Wellness Standard 

• Leadership 
• Planning 
• Customers 
• People 
• Process and Project Management 

After conducting a gap analysis in March 2017, the College assigned several Action Teams made up of volunteer staff members to develop the missing policies, plans, guidelines, etc. 

The College will continue its efforts to achieve Silver Certification within this Standard by November 2019. 

Enhancing Partnership and Collaboration with the College of Pharmacists of BC 

Dr. Evan Wood, Director of the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU), presented to the Board on enhancing partnership and collaboration with the College. 

Dr. Wood provided the Board with a background of the BCCSU and relevant system gaps, as well as a description of the Provincial Opioid Addiction Treatment Support Program (POATSP) and areas of care critical to the College. 

The Provincial Opioid Addiction Treatment Support Program is an online course, paired with an in-person preceptorship intended for all BC physicians, nursing and allied health professionals, and other care providers involved in the treatment of individuals with opioid use disorder. Completing the course is the first step in the authorization process for those seeking an exemption to prescribe methadone. 

As one of the College’s most frequent collaborators, the presenters also outlined to the Board, the following opportunities for continued collaboration between the College and BCCSU: 

• Professional Practice Policies 
• ReadLinks blog posts 
• POATSP committee membership 
• OAT Medication shortages 
• Oral OUD Guideline update Feb 2019
• OAT prescription pad 
• Partnering on additional health professions education 
• Upcoming guideline reviews 

Entry-to-Practice Doctor of Pharmacy Program Updates 

Kerry Wilbur, Associate Professor & Executive Director of Entry-to-Practice Education, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of British Columbia, provided an in-depth overview of the Entry-to-Practice Doctor of Pharmacy Program at UBC. 

Strategic Plan 2020-2023 Task Groups 

Board Chair, Mona Kwong, provided an update on the planning for the 2020-2023 Strategic Plan. 

The Board approved the appointment of members to task groups for each of the four strategic goal themes: 

• Practice Trends 
  • Board Lead - Frank Lucarelli
  • Board - Ryan Hoag
  • Staff - Doreen Leong, David Pavan
• Professionalism in Pharmacy
  • Board Lead - Ming Chang
  • Board - Justin Thind
  • Staff - Bob Nakagawa, Mary O’Callaghan
• Optimized Roles of Registrants
  • Board Lead - Chris Szeman
  • Board- Arden Barry, Anar Dossa, Jeremy Walden, Sorell Wellon
  • Staff - Gillian Vrooman
• HPA Modernization
  • Board Lead - Tara Oxford
  • Board - Mona Kwong, Tracey Hagkull
  • Staff - Ashifa Keshavji, Christine Paramonczyk

Task Groups will meet prior to each Board meeting to work on their specific area with an opportunity for all groups to provide progress updates to the entire group. 

COMMITTEE UPDATES

The following College Committees provided updates on their activities since the previous Board meeting. 

• Application Committee 
• Audit and Finance Committee
• Community Pharmacy Advisory Committee
• Discipline Committee
• Drug Administration Committee
• Ethics Advisory Committee
• Governance Committee 
• Hospital Pharmacy Advisory Committee
• Inquiry Committee
• Jurisprudence Examination Subcommittee
• Legislation Review Committee (update provided in item 5)
• Practice Review Committee
• Quality Assurance Committee
• Registration Committee
• Residential Care Advisory Committee

RECAP OF THE BOARD MEETING ON SOCIAL MEDIA