North Dakota telepharmacy project expands across country

A virtual pharmacy system that has been tested in North Dakota allows residents in rural areas to visit a drugstore and talk to someone about their health needs via the Internet. The telepharmacies are staffed with registered pharmacy technicians who use remote cameras to contact pharmacists in another location and show them the original signed prescription, computer-generated label, stock bottle where the pills are stored, and the bottle the patient will take home. Once the prescription is approved, patients have a mandatory private consultation with pharmacists through real-time video and audio. Now other states that have changed laws to allow for remote pharmacies.