AZ MPJE cheat sheet

Arizona pharmacy licenses, permits, and registrations are issued by the Arizona State Board of Pharmacy; a license is site- and person-specific and is not transferable to another owner, address, or person.

Pharmacist licensure requires graduation from an ACPE-accredited program, passage of NAPLEX and MPJE, and a jurisprudence exam; fingerprint clearance and good moral character evidence are also required.

Nonresident pharmacies that ship, mail, or deliver prescription drugs to Arizona patients must obtain an Arizona nonresident pharmacy registration and comply with Arizona labeling and reporting rules.

Wholesale distributors, manufacturers, and third-party logistics providers must be Board-registered in Arizona; records must be maintained and made available for inspection.

Licenses and registrations expire on a fixed biennial cycle; renewal after expiration may require a late fee, and practicing on an expired license is grounds for discipline.

Pharmacy technician and technician trainee registration is required before performing technician duties; ratio and supervision limits apply to each registered technician.

Change of ownership, location, or pharmacist-in-charge requires Board notification and, for ownership or location changes, a new or amended license before operation.

Discipline may include reprimand, probation, suspension, revocation, civil penalties, and restitution; the Board may also impose continuing education or practice restrictions.

A pharmacist may administer vaccines and other immunizations to patients aged 6 and older under a statewide protocol; pharmacists must be certified in CPR and complete required immunization training.

Pharmacists may initiate or modify drug therapy under a collaborative practice agreement with a prescriber; the agreement must be written, define scope, and be retained in the pharmacy.

Pharmacists may dispense naloxone without a prescription and may dispense hormonal contraceptives and certain other drugs under protocol as authorized by Arizona law.

A pharmacist may substitute a therapeutically equivalent generic unless the prescriber indicates 'dispense as written' or the patient refuses the substitution; the substitution must be documented.

Continuous quality improvement programs are required; pharmacies must maintain a written CQI plan, document errors and near misses, and review them to prevent recurrence.

Pharmacists must counsel patients on new prescriptions and on refills when requested, and must offer counseling in a manner the patient can understand.

Drug utilization review must screen for therapeutic duplication, drug-disease contraindication, drug-drug interaction, incorrect dosage, and abuse or misuse before dispensing.

Pharmacists may refuse to fill a prescription based on professional judgment but must return the prescription to the patient on request and may not obstruct lawful access to care.

A prescription must include the patient's name and address, drug name, strength, dosage form, quantity, directions, prescriber's name and address, and date of issue; missing elements require clarification before dispensing.

Schedule II prescriptions must be written, electronically transmitted, or oral in an emergency with a follow-up written prescription within 7 days; refills are prohibited.

Schedule III-V prescriptions may be refilled up to 5 times within 6 months of the date of issue; the prescriber may authorize additional refills with a new prescription.

Prescription records must be retained for at least 2 years and be readily retrievable; records for controlled substances must be kept separately or be readily retrievable from other records.

Prescriptions may be transferred between pharmacies, including out-of-state pharmacies, provided the transfer is documented and the receiving pharmacist has the original prescription information.

Labeling must include the pharmacy name and address, prescription number, date, patient name, directions, prescriber, and cautionary statements; auxiliary labels must be applied as required.

Prescriptions for controlled substances may be transmitted electronically only if the system meets DEA requirements, including identity proofing and two-factor authentication.

Pharmacists must maintain records of drug recalls, returns, and destruction, and must follow the Board's requirements for reverse distributors and disposal.

Arizona schedules mirror the federal Controlled Substances Act; Schedule II drugs have a high abuse potential and no accepted medical use for some substances, and require the most stringent controls.

A DEA registration is required for each principal place of business where controlled substances are manufactured, distributed, dispensed, or stored; registration is site-specific.

Schedule II prescriptions may not be refilled; a prescriber may issue multiple prescriptions for up to a 90-day supply if each is dated and the earliest fill date is specified.

A pharmacist may partially fill a Schedule II prescription if the pharmacist is unable to supply the full quantity; the remainder must be filled within 72 hours or the prescription is void.

Controlled substance inventories must be taken every 2 years and on change of ownership or registrant; Schedule II counts must be exact, and Schedule III-V may be estimated if the container holds more than 1,000 units.

Theft or significant loss of controlled substances must be reported to DEA in writing within one business day of discovery, and to the Arizona Board of Pharmacy.

A prescription for a Schedule II drug may be filled only if it is issued for a legitimate medical purpose by a practitioner acting in the usual course of professional practice.

Arizona's prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) must be checked by prescribers and dispensers before dispensing opioids and other specified controlled substances, with limited exceptions.

A pharmacy must have a designated pharmacist-in-charge who is responsible for compliance with all federal and state laws and for the pharmacy's day-to-day operations.

The pharmacy must have adequate space, lighting, ventilation, and equipment to compound and dispense drugs safely; a sink with hot and cold water is required in the compounding area.

Refrigerators and freezers used for drug storage must have a calibrated thermometer and temperature logs; temperatures must be monitored and documented.

Controlled substances must be stored in a securely locked, substantially constructed cabinet or dispersed throughout the stock in a manner that obstructs theft.

A pharmacy must maintain a current policy and procedure manual, including infection control, hazardous drug handling, and emergency procedures.

Compounding must comply with USP standards; sterile compounding requires an ISO-classified environment, environmental monitoring, and trained personnel.

Pharmacies must have a written plan for handling drug recalls and must be able to identify and retrieve affected lots from inventory and patient records.

Security systems, alarm systems, and access controls must be in place to prevent unauthorized access to the pharmacy and to controlled substances.

Patient counseling must include the drug name and description, dosage form, dose, route, duration, special directions, storage, refill information, and action to take if a dose is missed.

Counseling must be offered in a private area when practicable and must be documented; refusal of counseling must be documented in the patient record.

Pharmacists must provide medication therapy management services, including comprehensive medication reviews, to eligible patients under the pharmacy's protocol.

Pharmacists may administer immunizations to patients 6 and older under a statewide protocol and must report administered vaccines to the state immunization registry.

Pharmacists must screen for and report adverse drug events and must provide patient education on safe medication disposal and storage.

Patient records must be maintained for at least 2 years and must include medication history, allergies, and documentation of counseling and interventions.

Pharmacists may provide point-of-care testing and initiate therapy for certain conditions under protocol, including influenza, strep, and COVID-19, as authorized by Arizona law.

Pharmacists must ensure patients receive written information about the drug, including the manufacturer's patient package insert when required.

A pharmacist may delegate tasks to technicians and technician trainees only if the task is within the technician's training and the pharmacist retains responsibility for the outcome.

Technicians may not perform final verification of a prescription, provide patient counseling, or make clinical judgments; those functions are reserved for pharmacists.

The pharmacist-to-technician ratio must comply with Arizona Board rules; the pharmacist-in-charge must ensure adequate staffing to maintain safe practice.

Technician trainees must be registered with the Board and work under the direct supervision of a pharmacist or a registered technician as permitted by rule.

Pharmacy interns may perform pharmacist duties under the supervision of a preceptor pharmacist; the preceptor is responsible for the intern's activities.

Personnel must complete required training, including HIPAA, infection control, and hazardous drug handling, and training records must be maintained.

A pharmacist must be physically present in the pharmacy at all times when the pharmacy is open, unless the pharmacy is operating under a Board-approved remote or automated system.

Personnel files must include licensure and registration verification, and the pharmacy must verify that each employee's license or registration is current.

The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act governs drug approval, labeling, and manufacturing; the FDA enforces requirements for prescription and OTC drugs.

The Controlled Substances Act and DEA regulations govern registration, recordkeeping, security, and prescription requirements for controlled substances.

HIPAA privacy and security rules govern the use and disclosure of protected health information; pharmacies must provide a notice of privacy practices.

The Poison Prevention Packaging Act requires child-resistant packaging for most prescription drugs, with exceptions for certain drugs and patient requests.

Arizona law requires pharmacies to report dispensing of controlled substances to the PDMP and to check the PDMP before dispensing opioids and other specified drugs.

The Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act restricts the sale of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine products, requiring logbook records and daily and monthly purchase limits.

The Drug Supply Chain Security Act requires pharmacies to verify transaction information and to accept only drugs with a valid product identifier from authorized trading partners.

Arizona's pharmacy practice act and Board rules govern licensure, dispensing, compounding, and discipline; federal law preempts only where it conflicts.