2023 California Code › Health and Safety Code - HSC › DIVISION 2 - LICENSING PROVISIONS › CHAPTER 2 - Health Facilities › ARTICLE 1 - General › Section 1261.6.

1261.6. (a) (1) For purposes of this section and Section 1261.5, an “automated drug delivery system” means a mechanical system that performs operations or activities, other than compounding or administration, relative to the storage, dispensing, or distribution of drugs. An automated drug delivery system shall collect, control, and maintain all transaction information to accurately track the movement of drugs into and out of the system for security, accuracy, and accountability. For purposes of this section, an automated drug delivery system shall include an automated unit dose system, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 4017.3 of the Business and Professions Code.
(2) For purposes of this section, “facility” means a health facility licensed pursuant to subdivision (c), (d), (k), or (n) of Section 1250 that has an automated drug delivery system provided by a pharmacy.
(3) For purposes of this section, “pharmacy services” means the provision of both routine and emergency drugs and biologicals to meet the needs of the patient, as prescribed by a physician.
(b) Transaction information shall be made readily available in a written format for review and inspection by individuals authorized by law. These records shall be maintained in the facility for a minimum of three years.
(c) Individualized and specific access to automated drug delivery systems shall be limited to facility and contract personnel authorized by law to administer drugs.
(d) (1) The facility and the pharmacy shall develop and implement written policies and procedures to ensure safety, accuracy, accountability, security, patient confidentiality, and maintenance of the quality, potency, and purity of stored drugs. Policies and procedures shall define access to the automated drug delivery system and limits to access to equipment and drugs.
(2) All policies and procedures shall be maintained at the pharmacy operating the automated drug delivery system and the location where the automated drug delivery system is being used.
(e) When used as an emergency pharmaceutical supplies container, drugs removed from the automated drug delivery system shall be limited to the following:
(1) A new drug order given by a prescriber for a patient of the facility for administration prior to the next scheduled delivery from the pharmacy, or 72 hours, whichever is less. The drugs shall be retrieved only upon authorization by a pharmacist and after the pharmacist has reviewed the prescriber’s order and the patient’s profile for potential contraindications and adverse drug reactions.
(2) Drugs that a prescriber has ordered for a patient on an as-needed basis, if the utilization and retrieval of those drugs are subject to ongoing review by a pharmacist.
(3) Drugs designed by the patient care policy committee or pharmaceutical service committee of the facility as emergency drugs or acute onset drugs. These drugs may be retrieved from an automated drug delivery system pursuant to the order of a prescriber for emergency or immediate administration to a patient of the facility. Within 48 hours after retrieval under this paragraph, the case shall be reviewed by a pharmacist.
(f) When used to provide pharmacy services pursuant to Section 4017.3 of, and Article 25 (commencing with Section 4427) of Chapter 9 of Division 2 of, the Business and Professions Code, the automated drug delivery system shall be subject to all of the following requirements:
(1) Drugs removed from the automated drug delivery system for administration to a patient shall be in properly labeled units of administration containers or packages.
(2) A pharmacist shall review and approve all orders prior to a drug being removed from the automated drug delivery system for administration to a patient. The pharmacist shall review the prescriber’s order and the patient’s profile for potential contraindications and adverse drug reactions.
(3) The pharmacy providing services to the facility pursuant to Article 25 (commencing with Section 4427) of Chapter 9 of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code shall control access to the drugs stored in the automated drug delivery system.
(4) Access to the automated drug delivery system shall be controlled and tracked using an identification or password system or biosensor.
(5) The automated drug delivery system shall make a complete and accurate record of all transactions that will include all users accessing the system and all drugs added to, or removed from, the system.
(6) After the pharmacist reviews the prescriber’s order, access by licensed personnel to the automated drug delivery system shall be limited only to drugs ordered by the prescriber and reviewed by the pharmacist and that are specific to the patient. When the prescriber’s order requires a dosage variation of the same drug, licensed personnel shall have access to the drug ordered for that scheduled time of administration.
(7) (A) Systems that allow licensed personnel to have access to multiple drugs and are not patient specific in their design, shall be allowed under this subdivision if those systems have electronic and mechanical safeguards in place to ensure that the drugs delivered to the patient are specific to that patient. Each facility using such an automated drug delivery system shall notify the department in writing prior to the utilization of the system. The notification submitted to the department pursuant to this paragraph shall include, but is not limited to, information regarding system design, personnel with system access, and policies and procedures covering staff training, storage, and security, and the facility’s administration of these types of systems.
(B) As part of its routine oversight of these facilities, the department shall review a facility’s medication training, storage, and security, and its administration procedures related to its use of an automated drug delivery system to ensure that adequate staff training and safeguards are in place to make sure that the drugs delivered are appropriate for the patient. If the department determines that a facility is not in compliance with this section, the department may revoke its authorization to use automated drug delivery systems granted under subparagraph (A).
(g) The stocking of an automated drug delivery system shall be performed by a pharmacist. If the automated drug delivery system utilizes removable pockets, cards, drawers, similar technology, or unit of use or single dose containers as defined by the United States Pharmacopoeia, the stocking system may be done outside of the facility and be delivered to the facility if all of the following conditions are met:
(1) The task of placing drugs into the removable pockets, cards, drawers, or unit of use or single dose containers is performed by a pharmacist, or by an intern pharmacist or a pharmacy technician working under the direct supervision of a pharmacist.
(2) The removable pockets, cards, drawers, or unit of use or single dose containers are transported between the pharmacy and the facility in a secure tamper-evident container.
(3) The facility, in conjunction with the pharmacy, has developed policies and procedures to ensure that the removable pockets, cards, drawers, or unit of use or single dose containers are properly placed into the automated drug delivery system.
(h) Review of the drugs contained within, and the operation and maintenance of, the automated drug delivery system shall be done in accordance with law and shall be the responsibility of the pharmacy. The review shall be conducted on a monthly basis by a pharmacist and shall include a physical inspection of the drugs in the automated drug delivery system, an inspection of the automated drug delivery system machine for cleanliness, and a review of all transaction records in order to verify the security and accountability of the system.
(i) Drugs dispensed from an automated drug delivery system that meets the requirements of this section shall not be subject to the labeling requirements of Section 4076 of the Business and Professions Code or Section 111480 of this code if the drugs to be placed into the automated drug delivery system are in unit dose packaging or unit of use and if the information required by Section 4076 of the Business and Professions Code and Section 111480 of this code is readily available at the time of drug administration. For purposes of this section, unit dose packaging includes blister pack cards.
(j) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2019.
(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 111, Sec. 1. (AB 1852) Effective January 1, 2023.)