When you sell your pharmacy, you are responsible for ensuring a smooth and compliant transition for your patients, their records, and the new ownership. As the seller, you must complete the following key steps before the pharmacy officially closes or changes hands.
Step 1: Complete and Submit Closing Form
Your first step is to formally notify the NSPR. You must complete and submit the Pharmacy Closing Form prior to the final closure or sale date. This ensures the NSPR has an official record of the change in operation.
Information and Form: Closing a Pharmacy
Step 2: Notify Patients
You must inform all patients of the pharmacy’s upcoming sale and closure as soon as possible. This notification should clearly explain:
- The date of closure or change in ownership.
- How their patient records will be securely managed.
- The process for any transfer of their records to the acquiring pharmacy.
Methods for notification can include:
- Prominent in-store signage
- Newspaper or radio advertisements
- Personal phone calls or mailouts to patients
Step 3: Manage the Secure Transfer of Patient Records
Protecting patient privacy is paramount. By law, you cannot disclose personal patient information without consent.
Best Practice: To ensure compliance with privacy legislation, the selling and acquiring pharmacies should enter into a joint confidentiality agreement. This agreement ensures the new owner maintains the patient records securely and agrees not to access them until a patient chooses to use the new pharmacy’s services, thereby providing their implied consent.
You must also be prepared to provide patients with a copy of their records upon request.
Step 4: Ensure Continuity of Patient Care
Throughout the transition, you must have a plan in place to provide for the orderly and uninterrupted continuation of care for all your patients. This includes managing prescription transfers and answering patient questions in a timely manner.
