Requirements for medication monitoring in assisted living facilities

To determine requirements for medication monitoring in assisted living in the United States.

Comprehensive list maintained by the National Center for Assisted Living reporting individual state entities that are responsible for oversight of assisted living facilities. Reviews of respective entity Web sites were performed July to September 2011.

Web sites of all 50 states reporting statutes and regulations pertaining to assisted living and medication review.

Appropriate state Web sites were reviewed to determine state-specific definitions, statutes, and regulations pertaining to requirements for medication review in assisted living and persons or entities responsible for this review. Telephone interviews were conducted with appropriate individuals when questions existed or clarifications were needed.

Forty states recognize or define the living environment of assisted living, and 10 describe it using other terms. Thirty states have specific requirements for medication review in assisted living facilities, which vary greatly by required frequency, health care discipline responsible for conducting medication monitoring, and non-time-dependent criteria that trigger the review.

Considerable diversity exists among states in requirements for medication review in the assisted living environment. The requirements in some states resemble national nursing facility standards of practice for pharmacy services, while others have few or no requirements for medication review. Regulations do not always require a pharmacist to perform this review.