Ariz. Admin. Code § 4-23-404

Current through Register Vol. 30, No. 50, December 13, 2024

Section R4-23-404 - Unethical Practices

A. Rebates prohibited. A pharmacist or pharmacy permittee shall not offer, deliver, receive, or accept any unearned rebate, refund, commission, preference, patronage dividend, discount, or other unearned consideration, whether in the form of money or otherwise, as compensation or inducement to refer a patient, client, or customer to any person, except for a rebate or premium paid completely and directly to a patient. A pharmacist or pharmacy permittee shall not:

1. Make payment to a medical practitioner in money or other consideration for a prescription order prescribed by the medical practitioner; or

2. Make payment to a long-term care or assisted living facility or other health care institution in money, discount, rental, or other consideration in an amount above the prevailing rate for:

a. Prescription medication or devices dispensed or sold for a patient or resident of the facility or institution; or

b. Drug selection or drug utilization review services, drug therapy management services, or other pharmacy consultation services provided for a patient or resident of the facility or institution.

B. Prescription order-blank advertising prohibited. A pharmacist or pharmacy permittee shall not:

1. Directly or indirectly furnish to a medical practitioner a prescription order-blank that refers to a specific pharmacist or pharmacy in any manner; or

2. Actively or passively participate in any arrangement or agreement where a prescription order-blank is prepared, written, or issued in a manner that refers to a specific pharmacist or pharmacy.

C. Fraudulent claim for service. A pharmacist or pharmacy permittee shall not claim the performance of a service that the pharmacist or pharmacy permittee knows or should know was not performed, such as, claiming to dispense a prescription medication that is not dispensed.

D. Fraudulent claim for a fee. A pharmacist or pharmacy permittee:

1. Shall not claim a fee for a service that is not performed or earned;

2. May divide a prescription order into two or more portions of prescription medication at the request of a patient, or for some other ethical reason, and charge a dispensing fee for the additional service; and

3. Shall not divide a prescription order merely to obtain an additional fee.

E. Prohibiting a prescription-only drug or device from being dispensed over the counter. A pharmacist shall ensure that:

1. A prescription-only drug or device is dispensed only after receipt of a valid prescription order from a licensed medical practitioner;

2. The dispensed prescription-only drug or device is properly prepared, packaged, and labeled according to this Chapter; and

3. The prescription order is filed according to this Chapter.

F. Drugs dispensed in the course of the conduct of a business of dispensing drugs through diagnosis by mail or the internet.

1. A pharmacist shall not dispense a drug from a prescription order if the pharmacist has knowledge, or reasonably should know under the circumstances, that the prescription order was issued on the basis of an internet-based questionnaire or an internet-based consultation without a medical practitioner-patient relationship as defined in R4-23-110.

2. A pharmacist who dispenses a prescription-only drug, prescription-only device, or controlled substance in violation of this Section is engaging in unethical conduct in violation of A.R.S. § 32-1901.01.

Ariz. Admin. Code § R4-23-404

Former Rules 4.2110, 4.2120, 4.2130, 4.2210, 4.2230, 4.2400, 4.2500, 4.2600, 4.4100, 4.4200, 4.4310, 4.4320, 4.4400, and 4.4500; Amended effective August 10, 1978 (Supp. 78-4); Amended subsection (I) effective August 9, 1983 (Supp. 83-4). Amended by deleting subsections (H) through (M) effective November 18, 1983 (Supp. 83-6). Amended by final rulemaking at 8 A.A.R. 1256, effective March 7, 2002 (Supp. 02-1). Amended by final rulemaking at 14 A.A.R. 3405, effective October 4, 2008 (Supp. 08-3).