| Chapter 319 |
| 2025 -- H 6038 Enacted 06/30/2025 |
| A N A C T |
| RELATING TO BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS -- PHARMACIES |
Introduced By: Representatives Ajello, McGaw, Alzate, Speakman, Boylan, Donovan, Cotter, Carson, Tanzi, and Felix |
| Date Introduced: March 07, 2025 |
| It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
| SECTION 1. Section 5-19.1-36 of the General Laws in Chapter 5-19.1 entitled |
| "Pharmacies" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
| 5-19.1-36. Pharmacists — Contraceptives — Prescribing. |
| (a) In accordance with this chapter and adopted by the state board of pharmacy, a |
| pharmacist may prescribe and dispense all short-term, FDA-approved hormonal contraceptives. |
| (b) The state board of pharmacy shall adopt rules to establish, in consultation with the |
| Rhode Island medical board, the Rhode Island state board of nursing, and the Rhode Island |
| department of health, and in consideration of guidelines established by the American College of |
| Obstetricians and Gynecologists. |
| (c) A pharmacist shall be required to: |
| (1) Complete educational training approved by the state board of pharmacy that is related |
| to prescribing hormonal contraceptives. This training shall include training on counseling on all |
| methods of FDA-approved contraceptives, including those the pharmacist is not able to prescribe; |
| (2) Provide a self-screening risk assessment tool, based on the current version of the U.S. |
| Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use developed by the federal Centers for Disease |
| Control and Prevention, that the patient must complete prior to the pharmacist’s prescribing the |
| hormonal contraceptive; |
| (3) Provide the patient with a written record of the hormonal contraceptive prescribed and |
| dispensed and advise the patient to consult with a primary care practitioner or women’s healthcare |
| practitioner; |
| (4) Notify the patient’s primary care provider that the pharmacist prescribed and/or |
| dispensed a short-term, FDA-approved hormonal contraceptive. If the patient does not have a |
| primary care provider, or refuses consent to notify the patient’s primary care provider, the |
| pharmacist shall provide the patient a list of physicians, clinics, or other healthcare providers to |
| contact regarding follow-up care; and |
| (5) Dispense the contraceptives to the patient as soon as practicable after the pharmacist |
| issues the prescription. |
| (d) All state and federal laws governing insurance coverage of contraceptive drugs, |
| devices, products, and services shall apply to contraceptives prescribed by a pharmacist under this |
| section; provided, however, an initial prescription issued pursuant to the provisions of this section |
| shall be limited to up to a three-month (3) supply. |
| (e) Any individual health plan or group health plan and any health coverage through any |
| commercial health plan shall cover hormonal contraceptives that are prescribed and dispensed by |
| a pharmacist, including contraceptive counseling, if those contraceptives would otherwise be |
| covered if prescribed by another type of healthcare provider. |
| (f) The Rhode Island state board of pharmacy should track and report on accessibility and |
| use, including the number and geographic locations of participating pharmacy stores; and number |
| of pharmacists that are eligible to prescribe. |
| (g) Pharmacies should display signs in stores and on websites indicating on-site, behind- |
| the-counter availability of contraceptives. |
| SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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| LC002338 |
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