PART V. DISCIPLINE

§1241. Refusal, restriction, suspension, or revocation of license

            A. The board may, after due notice and hearing, assess a fine not to exceed the sum of five thousand dollars for each offense, refuse to license, register, certify, or permit any applicant, refuse to renew the license or permit of any person, or may revoke, summarily suspend, suspend, place on probation, reprimand, issue a warning against the person who was issued the license, registration, certificate, permit, or any other designation deemed necessary to engage in the practice of pharmacy upon proof that the person:

            (1) Practiced or assisted in the practice of pharmacy, or knowingly permitted or has permitted anyone in his employ or under his supervision to practice or assist in the practice of pharmacy, in violation of the provisions of this Chapter and any rules and regulations promulgated thereto in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.

            (2) Attempted to or obtained a license, registration, certificate, permit or any other designation deemed necessary to engage in the practice of pharmacy by fraud or misrepresentation.

            (3) Committed repeated occasions of negligence or incompetence in the practice or assistance in the practice of pharmacy.

            (4) Has been convicted of a felony or other public offense involving moral turpitude in the courts of any state, territory, or country. Conviction, as used in this Paragraph, shall include a finding or verdict of guilty, an admission of guilt, or a plea of nolo contendere.

            (5) Is habitually intemperate or is addicted to the use of alcohol or habit-forming drugs.

            (6) Has had his license, permit, certification, registration or any other designation deemed necessary to engage in the practice of pharmacy revoked or suspended, or has had other disciplinary action taken, or has had his application for licensure refused, revoked, or suspended by the proper authorities of another state, territory, or country based upon conduct by the licensee similar to conduct that would constitute grounds for action as defined in this Section.

            (7) Has failed to report to the board any adverse action taken by another licensing jurisdiction, government agency, law enforcement agency, or court for conduct that would constitute grounds for action as defined in this Section.

            (8) Has failed to report to the board the surrender of a license, permit, certification, registration or any other designation deemed necessary to engage in the practice of pharmacy in another state or jurisdiction while under disciplinary investigation by any of those authorities or bodies for conduct that would constitute grounds for action as defined in this Section.

            (9) Has failed to report to the board any adverse judgment, settlement, or award arising from a malpractice claim arising related to conduct that would constitute grounds for action as defined in this Section.

            (10) Has departed from or failed to conform to the minimal standards of acceptable and prevailing pharmacy practice, whether or not actual injury to a patient has occurred.

            (11) Has committed fraud by a licensee in connection with the practice of pharmacy, including, but not limited to Medicaid fraud, Medicare fraud, or insurance fraud.

            (12) Has engaged, or aided and abetted a person to engage in the practice of pharmacy without a license, registration, certificate, permit or any other designation deemed necessary to engage in the practice of pharmacy.

            (13) Has failed to pay the costs assessed in a disciplinary hearing.

            (14) Has engaged in any conduct that subverts or attempts to subvert any examination or the administration of any examination authorized under this Chapter.

            (15) Has evaded, or assisted, directly or indirectly, another person in evading any local, state or federal laws or regulations pertaining to the practice of pharmacy.

            (16) Has divulged or revealed confidential information or personally identifiable information to a person other than as authorized by state or federal law or the rules of the board.

            (17)(a) Has knowingly selected an equivalent drug product if the practitioner or authorized prescriber instructs otherwise by either of the following:

            (i) On a written prescription drug order, handwriting a mark in a check-off box labeled with "Dispense as Written", or the abbreviation "DAW", or both, and personally handwriting his signature on a printed-single-signature line. A written prescription drug order shall indicate the practitioner's or authorized prescriber's name, licensure designation, and practice affiliation, if any.

            (ii) On an oral prescription, verbally indicating that a specific brand-name drug or product is ordered by the practitioner or authorized prescriber or his agent. The pharmacist shall note such information on the file copy of the prescription.

            (b) The patient shall be informed of, and consent to, the equivalent drug product interchange when the practitioner or authorized prescriber permits the equivalent drug product interchange.

            (c) In order to comply with 42 CFR 447.331, for prescriptions reimbursable by Medicaid, the practitioner or authorized prescriber may prohibit equivalent drug product interchange only by handwriting the words "brand medically necessary" or "brand necessary" directly on the written prescription drug order or on a sheet attached to the prescription. Recipients of Medicaid prescription benefits demonstrate implied consent by their participation in the program, provided the practitioner or authorized prescriber has not prohibited equivalent drug product interchange in the manner specified in Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph.

            (18) Has knowingly received or possessed any drug or device that is, or has been, adulterated or misbranded, or knowingly or intentionally delivered or proffered any such product to the public.

            (19) Has engaged in false, misleading, or fraudulent advertising as defined by the board.

            (20) Has solicited professional practice by means of providing physicians or other practitioners with prescription blanks imprinted with any material referring to a pharmacy or pharmacist.

            (21) Has advertised by including any reference, direct or indirect, to any controlled dangerous substances as provided for in Schedules II, III, IV, and V of R.S. 40:964.

            (22) Has failed to furnish to the board, its investigators, or representatives any information legally requested by the board.

            (23) Has used an independent contractor to provide marketing services for the pharmacy to any practitioner, authorized prescriber, or prospective customer in Louisiana in exchange for compensation unless the compensation paid is an amount set in advance, consistent with fair market value, and not calculated based on the volume or value of actual prescriptions filled by the pharmacy.

            (24) Has dispensed or distributed any drug or device to any patient pursuant to a prescription written by a practitioner or a member of the practitioner's group practice if the practitioner or an immediate family member of the practitioner has a direct or indirect financial relationship with the dispensing or distributing pharmacy, unless the financial relationship meets all of the requirements of R.S. 37:1745. Nothing in this Paragraph shall prohibit a practitioner or an immediate family member of the practitioner from having an ownership interest in a pharmacy.

            B. The board may require a pharmacy to produce any information the board deems reasonably necessary to investigate alleged violations of and otherwise enforce Paragraphs (A)(23) and (24) of this Section.

            C. In addition to the disciplinary action or fine assessed by the board, the board may assess all costs incurred in connection with the proceedings, including but not limited to investigator, stenographer, and attorney fees.

            D. Each day on which a violation occurs is a separate violation for the purposes of this Part.

            E. The board may, by regulation, defer action with regard to an impaired licensed, registered, or certified person who voluntarily signs an agreement, in a form satisfactory to the board, agreeing not to practice pharmacy and to enter an approved treatment and monitoring program in accordance with this Section, provided that this Section should not apply to a licensee who has been convicted of, pleads guilty to, or enters a plea of nolo contendere to a felonious act or a conviction relating to a controlled substance in a court of law of the United States or any state, territory, or country.

            F. The board retains jurisdiction over all such unlicensed, uncertified, or unpermitted persons relative to violations of and enforcement of the provisions of this Chapter. However, nothing contained in this Chapter shall prevent any licensed practitioner of medicine, dentistry, or veterinary medicine from compounding, dispensing, administering to, or supplying his patients with the necessary drugs and medicines for their use.

            G. Any individual who, after a hearing, shall be found by the board to have unlawfully engaged in the practice of pharmacy shall be subject to a fine not to exceed the sum of five thousand dollars to be imposed by the board. Each such violation of this Chapter or the regulations promulgated hereunder pertaining to unlawfully engaging in the practice of pharmacy shall also constitute a misdemeanor punishable upon conviction by a fine of no more than five hundred dollars or by imprisonment for no more than six months, or both.

            Acts 1999, No. 767, §1; Acts 2001, No. 852, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2002; Acts 2001, No. 1031, §2, eff. Jan. 1, 2002; Acts 2006, No. 164, §1; Acts 2015, No. 409, §1.