Friday, June 24, 2005

AMA: Pharmacists can't refuse to dispense

Medpage Today says that physicians are charging pharmacists with interference in medical care. Thbe June 20 article says
The American Medical Association's policy-making body voted today to press for state laws that would allow physicians to dispense medications when there is no nearby pharmacist willing to dispense the prescribed drugs.

The new AMA policy is an attempt to overcome what doctors say is a stampede of pharamacists who say they cannot in good conscience dispense certain medications. The issue of conscientious refusal was first raised when some pharmacists refused to fill prescriptions for the emergency contraception pill, called Plan B. Additionally some pharmacists refused to fill prescriptions for birth control pills.

But AMA delegates say the conscience-based refusals have now spread to psychotropic drugs and pain medications. ...

The AMA's exactly right. The only situation in which I would agree with reluctant pharmacists would be one where there were another pharmacist in the same store willing to dispense the medication.

Thanks to Nellie B in the Huffington Post for pointing this out.

posted by Paul Wilczynski @ 1:20 PM

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