AL Rule Review – 67.5(2)f Medications Managed by the Program

The AL Rule Review will continue with 67.5(2)f which discusses qualifications for individuals that can administer medications in an AL setting. When a tenant delegates full medication administration to the AL program, there are certain individuals who are allowed to administer the medications. These include:

• Registered nurse
• Licensed practical nurse
• Advanced registered nurse practitioner
• An individual who has successfully completed a department-approved medication aide or medication manager course and passed the respective department-approved medication aide or manager examination
• Physician assistant

Injectable medications shall be administered as permitted by Iowa law by a RN, LPN, ARNP, physician, pharmacist, or physician assistant. Some programs delegate injectable medications to a medication manager via RN delegation.

When medications are traditionally administered by the AL program, the medications must be maintained in a locked place or container that is not accessible to persons other than employees responsible for the administration or storage of such medications. In addition, the program must maintain a list of each tenant’s medication and document the medications administered. The medications and treatments must be administered as prescribed by the tenant’s physician, ARNP, or physician assistant.

DIAL reported concerns regarding potentially altered medication manager certificates throughout the State. Assisted living programs that accept previous certifications should use their judgement on these certifications. If the certificate appears altered you can contact the program that issued the certificate to confirm the person completed the medication manager program. You can find a list of department approved courses on the Medication Aide & Medication Manager Certification on DIAL’s website.