(The Center Square) – Arizona’s pharmacies could test and treat patients for COVID-19, strep throat and other diseases under legislation passed by the Senate.
Senate Bill 1214, which is now headed to the state House, won bipartisan support March 3 with a 22-7 vote in the Senate.
The legislation would allow pharmacists or their staffs to perform tests for influenza group A streptococcus pharyngitis, better known as strep throat, COVID-19 or other coronavirus respiratory illnesses, and HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis or post-exposure prophylaxis. But only pharmacists could interpret the test results under the bill.
The conditions can also be ones related to an existing or emerging health threat identified by the Department of Health Services and for which an executive order, rule or statewide standing order has been issued.
The legislation is expected to go before the House Health and Social Services Committee later this month, state Sen. T.J. Shope, R-Coolidge, the bill’s sponsor, told The Center Square Monday.
If all goes well, SB 1214 could go to the full House for a vote by early April, said Shope, the Senate president pro tempore.
The senator, who represents a largely rural area that includes Pinal County and portions of Pima and Maricopa counties, said he proposed the bill to help residents who aren’t near a city with medical professionals providing tests and treatments.
“The majority of my constituents have a drive time to Phoenix of over an hour,” Shope said.
The tests and treatments would be covered by insurance, he said, but noted it might be necessary to add language in the bill to make that clear. If the House makes amendments to the legislation, it would go back to the Senate for further consideration.
Shope said experts have told him the conditions listed in SB 1214 are easy ones for tests and treatments in pharmacies.
“It’s more convenient for everyone,” Shope said, explaining patients won’t have to spend a half hour at a doctor’s office. There’s the additional benefit of allowing physicians and physician assistants more time for other cases.
The senator noted there are safeguards such as the fact that pharmacists are certified by the Arizona State Board of Pharmacy.
Additionally, SB 1214 requires pharmacists to notify the patient’s primary care physician within 72 hours of starting treatment. It also says pharmacists treating patients must follow clinical guidelines established by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The bill also says pharmacists can’t independently start a treatment involving opioids and must have a parent’s or guardian’s permission to test or treat a minor.
It would be up to pharmacies to decide whether to begin testing and treating patients, Shope said.
