Maine § 8624. - Medication disposal

§ 8624.. Medication disposal

A hospice provider who provides services to a client in the home of the client or the family of the client or another person shall provide a written policy to the client or family as part of developing the care plan. The written policy must include, but is not limited to, the following:   [PL 2021, c. 193, §1 (NEW).]

1.  Care plan guidance.  Clarification of the hospice provider, client and family roles and expectations regarding the prescribing and administering of controlled substances;

2.  Safe use and storage.  Requirements for management for safe use and storage of controlled substances in the home;

3.  Disposal expected.  Requirements for documentation that the client's family is expected to safely and appropriately dispose of any medications, especially controlled substances, after the client has died;

4.  Safe disposal.  Information on safe and environmentally sound disposal of medications;

5.  Disposal method.  Requirements for return envelopes or disposal kits or any other method of collection or disposal that the pharmacy providing the medication or the hospice provider has provided or recommended to the client and the family that is consistent with Maine Drug Enforcement Agency recommendations and requirements;

6.  Notice of letter after death.  Requirements for advance notice that the hospice provider will send a letter to the client's family after the client has died with a reminder that the family is expected to dispose of medications; and

7.  Documentation.  Requirements for signed documentation, retained by the hospice provider, from the client or family that the written policy has been provided and discussed in a language and manner that the client can understand.

The hospice provider shall send a letter to the family within 30 days of the death of the client stating that the family is expected to dispose of any medications with the information on safe and environmentally sound disposal that was provided at the time of developing the care plan.   [PL 2021, c. 193, §1 (NEW).]

For the purposes of this section, "controlled substances" has the same meaning as in section 7246, subsection 1.   [PL 2021, c. 193, §1 (NEW).]