Legislative Session number- 81

Bill Name: SF1432

Establishing a loan forgiveness program for pharmacists agreeing to practice in
designated rural or underserved urban areas; establishing a rural or underserved
urban area pharmacist education account in the health care access fund for and
requiring the commissioner of health to contract with a statewide pharmacist
association to administer the program; establishing a pharmacy education loan
forgiveness oversight committee to determine applicant selection criteria and
participant starting date of service, specifying certain membership appointment
requirements; specifying certain pharmacist contract requirements for loan
forgiveness eligibility purposes; prescribing the loan repayment procedure and
certain loan limits; imposing a penalty for nonfulfillment of contract
requirements; authorizing the oversight committee to waive or suspend payment or
service obligations in certain disability or emergency cases; establishing a
rural or underserved urban area pharmacy financial assistance account in the
health care access fund for commissioner financial assistance grants to sole
community pharmacies in the areas, requiring a contract with a statewide
pharmacist association to administer the program and joint establishment of a
pharmacy advisory committee by the commissioner, the university of Minnesota
college of pharmacy and the statewide association; requiring evidence of local
support for grant eligibility purposes and providing for the awarding of the
grants; requiring the commissioner of human services to award grants to create
and develop a pilot program to involve pharmacists in coordinating drug therapy
management services, requiring the program to reimburse licensed pharmacists for
services to at risk patients, requiring a program administration contract with a
statewide association and a program evaluation contract with the university of
Minnesota college of pharmacy and a commissioner report to the legislature on
the results of the evaluation (mk)