Virginia Law

The following practices shall constitute unprofessional conduct within the meaning of § 54.1-3316 of the Code of Virginia:

1. Failing to comply with provisions of § 32.1-127.1:03 of the Code of Virginia related to the confidentiality and disclosure of patient records or related to providing patient records to another practitioner or to the patient or the patient's personal representative;

2. Willfully or negligently breaching the confidentiality of a patient unless otherwise required or permitted by applicable law;

3. Failing to maintain the confidentiality of information received from the Prescription Monitoring Program, obtaining such information for reasons other than to assist in determining the validity of a prescription to be filled, or misusing information received from the program;

4. Engaging in disruptive or abusive behavior in a pharmacy or other health care setting that interferes with patient care or could reasonably be expected to adversely impact the quality of care rendered to a patient;

5. Engaging or attempting to engage in a relationship with a patient that constitutes a professional boundary violation in which the practitioner uses his professional position to take advantage of the vulnerability of a patient or the patient's family, including sexual misconduct with a patient or a member of the patient's family or other conduct that results or could result in personal gain at the expense of the patient;

6. Failing to maintain adequate safeguards against the diversion of controlled substances;

7. Failing to appropriately respond to a known dispensing error in a manner that protects the health and safety of the patient;

8. Delegating a task within the practice of pharmacy to a person who is not adequately trained to perform such a task;

9. Failing by the pharmacist in charge to ensure that pharmacy interns, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy technician trainees working in the pharmacy are registered and that such registration is current;

10. Failing to exercise professional judgment in determining whether a prescription meets the requirements of law before dispensing;

11. Obtaining money or property of a patient or client by fraud or misrepresentation;

12. Providing false information or failing to cooperate with an employee of the Department of Health Professions in the conduct on an investigation or inspection;

13. Violating any provision of this chapter, 18VAC110-20, or Chapter 33 (§ 54.1-3300 et seq.) or 34 (§ 54.1-3400 et seq.) of Title 54.1 of the Code of Virginia;

14. Performing any act likely to deceive, defraud, or harm the public; or

15. Having a restriction of a license to practice pharmacy or a registration as a pharmacy technician in another jurisdiction in the United States.