Pharmacies > Opening a Community Pharmacy > Opening a Remote Dispensing Location

Opening a Remote Dispensing Location

Before an accredited community pharmacy can open a remote dispensing location (RDL) to the public, it must apply for an amended Certificate of Accreditation to operate an RDL. The operating pharmacy and the proposed new RDL must meet all of the criteria set out in the Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act, 1990 and its regulations.

Step 1: Submit an Application for Certificate of Accreditation as a Pharmacy

A complete application must be submitted to the College at least 45 days prior to the proposed opening date of the remote dispensing location and include:

RDL with Dispensary or Automated Pharmacy System 

An RDL may be a dispensary staffed with a regulated pharmacy technician or may contain an Automated Pharmacy System (APS). If you are applying to open a new RDL containing an APS, please note that APS technology is subject to a technical assessment and Board approval. This evaluation process may take three to six months to complete.

APS technology must meet the following specifications:

  • Contains a reflective scanning unit for the double-sided scanning of paper-based prescriptions that has an effective image resolution of not less than 300 dpi (dots per inch) resolution 8-bit grayscale
  • Transmits images in lossless format encrypted with AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) 256-bit encryption, and employs network authentication of each machine and controlling pharmacist using robust password-based authentication

For more information, please review the checklist for Opening a Remote Dispensing Location for a Dispensary Staffed by a Pharmacy Technician or with an Automated Pharmacy System (APS).

Applications may be submitted by email to [email protected], faxed to 416-847-8399 or mailed to the attention of Pharmacy Applications & Renewals at 483 Huron St., Toronto, ON M5R 2R4.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The College evaluates each person who is an applicant based on the criteria set out in Part III of the regulation under the Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act, 1990, including an assessment to determine if past and present conduct of the proposed owner(s) affords reasonable grounds for the belief that the pharmacy will be operated with decency, honesty and integrity and in accordance with the law. The College will take whatever time is necessary to complete this assessment. Application processing time varies, and your proposed date of opening is subject to change.

Step 2: Scheduling an Inspection

Once an application has been approved, a community operations advisor will contact the Designated Manager of the operating pharmacy to schedule an inspection of the RDL prior to the proposed opening date.

Step 3: The Inspection

Issuance of an amended Certificate of Accreditation is subject to approval of the application and a satisfactory inspection of the RDL. 

Once a community operations advisor has completed their inspection and is satisfied that the operation is safe and the public is protected, notification will be sent to Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) confirming the RDL has been activated. The RDL will then be activated and have a profile on the College’s Find a Pharmacy or Pharmacy Professional tool.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Ensure all paperwork required by Ontario Drug Benefits has been filed. ODB is not open on weekends. All new openings must occur on a weekday.

If you have any questions about the accreditation process send an email to [email protected] or call 416-962-4861 ext. 3600.

FEATURED RESOURCES

FAQs

  • A “remote dispensing location” means a place where drugs are dispensed or sold by retail to the public under the supervision of a pharmacist who is not physically present.

  • A holder of a certificate of accreditation in the community pharmacy class can apply for an amended certificate of accreditation that permits the operation of remote dispensing location(s). For more information, please see the Opening a Remote Dispensing Location webpage.

  • Only the pharmacy whose certificate of accreditation permits the operation of the remote dispensing location can operate it at the specific location referred to in the certificate of accreditation. The operation cannot be contracted out to another pharmacy.

  • A pharmacy can operate multiple remote dispensing locations (RDL) but each RDL will have a specific accreditation number. Additional fees for each RDL application will be required and specific standards of accreditation must be met. As with any new store opening, an inspection will take place to ensure the standards are met prior to accreditation approval.

  • Drugs in Schedule I, II and III may be sold in a remote dispensing location. Schedule III drugs may be available either from an automated pharmacy system or from an area in the remote dispensing location to which the public does not have access. No narcotic and controlled drugs and targeted substances can be located at or available from the RDL.

  • Yes, the pharmacist must be physically present in the pharmacy that operates the remote dispensing location.

  • The same requirements that apply to any pharmacy must also apply to the remote dispensing location (RDL) which include a dispensary. The pharmacy must be at least 18.6 sq metres and dispensary 9.3 sq metres. A RDL in which all drugs are dispensed and distributed from an automated pharmacy system is not required to have a dispensary or meet the pharmacy size requirements.

  • A remote dispensing location (RDL) must be located in a well-lit and well-ventilated area that is appropriate for the provision of health care services and accessible to the public only during the hours that a pharmacist is physically present in the accredited pharmacy that operates the RDL. There is no restriction regarding proximity to another pharmacy.

    • Every remote dispensing location (RDL) must be designed, constructed and maintained so as to prevent unauthorized access.
    • Must have an alarm system that provides immediate notification to the Designated Manager (DM) or their delegate of any theft or attempted theft of drugs, tampering or attempted tampering of RDL or its equipment and alternation in refrigeration temperature outside of standards
    • Once the alarm system has notified the DM all dispensing at the remote dispensing location will be stopped until the DM confirms that the remote dispensing location, including any automated pharmacy system, is fully secured and operational.

    As well, if the RDL has an automated dispensing system, it must:

    • Be locked at all times to prevent unauthorized access and be sufficiently affixed within the RDL so that it cannot be moved by unauthorized persons.
    • Use technology, such as bar-coding or micro chips, that ensures that drugs are accurately loaded and verifies that the correct drugs are selected robotically during the dispensing process and correct labels affixed to vials.
    • Employ College-approved technology for the creation of a digitally scanned image of a paper-based prescription

  • In the case of an automated pharmacy system (APS), the technology used to transmit the prescription must be approved by the College. Methods to ensure verification of physician signature and authenticity of prescriptions remain consistent with all pharmacy practices. For more information, please see the Opening a Remote Dispensing Location webpage.

  • Every remote dispensing location (RDL) where a pharmacist is not physically present must be equipped with a live, two-way audio-visual link that permits dialogue and communication between the patient and a pharmacist who is physically present in the accredited pharmacy. In the event of a disruption in this link, all dispensing at the RDL must cease immediately and cannot resume until the link is restored.

  • In addition to what is required on all prescription labels, the container in which a drug is dispensed from a remote dispensing location (RDL) must indicate both the name, address and telephone number of the accredited pharmacy as well as the address of the RDL including a toll-free number at which a patient may contact the accredited pharmacy. The label must include a unique identifier, attached to the prescription number that identifies that the drug was dispensed from the RDL vs. the accredited pharmacy.

Print page