VIPPS^TM Combines Criteria, Inspections
to Certify On-Line Pharmacy Quality

Mark Paulson

Soon, consumers will be able to instantly access important information regarding the licensure, confidentiality, and practices of some of America's best-known Internet pharmacies, thanks to the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Site™ program (VIPPS™), sponsored by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.

Introduced in February of 1999, VIPPS™ is a voluntary program designed to certify each participating on-line pharmacy's ability to dispense pharmaceuticals to the public by documenting licensure from the appropriate state boards of pharmacy, meeting a rigorous, 17-point criteria and undergoing an on-site review of their written policies and procedures by an NABP-trained Inspection Team. Certified on-line pharmacies will display the VIPPS™ seal on their site's home page, allowing visitors to access the VIPPS™ Web site and information regarding the on-line pharmacy instantly through a hyperlink to NABP's home page (http://www.nabp.net/.

"The true heart of the VIPPS™ program is the review process and seal," explains NABP President Dyke F. Anderson. "When a visitor first arrives at a VIPPS™-certified Web site, they can instantly access some very important information about how that on-line pharmacy dispenses medication, protects their privacy, and ensures the quality and safety of their products."

In order to join the program, the on-line pharmacy first completes the VIPPS™ Application, which can be downloaded from the NABP Web site (located at http://www.nabp.net/). This application covers such information as the name under which the applicant is doing business, ownership, the applicant's addresses and telephone numbers, Web site addresses, the name of the pharmacist-in-charge, licensure, services provided, and documentation which verifies the applicant's adherence to the VIPPS™ criteria.

The VIPPS™ criteria includes questions in 17 Internet and practice-based areas, such as how the patient's or caregiver's identity is verified; communication with consulting physicians, patients or caregivers; the steps that are taken to ensure the patient's confidentiality; how medications are dispensed; and how those medications are secured and tracked when shipped to the patient. It's this criteria, and how it was devised, that sets VIPPS™ apart.

"We worked very hard to make sure the development process of the VIPPS™ criteria was open and inclusive," says Anderson. "From the start, we knew that devising relevant criteria would be important to the program's ultimate success, so we invited representatives of many groups, including the federal Food and Drug Administration, the American Association of Retired Persons and the American Medical Association to participate. I think the process we've come up with is exceptional."

Once the application and supporting documentation have been sent to NABP, staff begins the verification and evaluation process. An important part of the verification process is the site visit conducted by a VIPPS™ inspection team. Consisting of trained inspectors and VIPPS staff, a team will visit the applicant's headquarters to review and verify the applicant's policies and procedures that implement the VIPPS™ criteria.

"In our survey of Internet sites, we found many on-line pharmacies that claimed authorization to ship medications to all 50 states, but were only licensed in a few states," notes Anderson. "Our verification of licensure by the local state boards pharmacy assures consumers that if there is a dispute with on on-line pharmacy, the consumers' interests are represented by the appropriate state board. And if any of the state boards take action against an on-line pharmacy, that is information posted immediately on VIPPS™."

Based upon the site visit and other documentation, the inspectors will produce a report and recommendations supporting or denying certification. If certification is not immediately recommended, the inspectors' suggestions for bringing the applicant's policies and procedures in line with the VIPPS™ criteria will be offered, and the applicant will be granted time to provide evidence of movement toward implementing those recommendations.

It’s only after successfully completing this application, verification and site visit process that the on-line pharmacy is awarded VIPPS™ certification. And, once an on-line pharmacy becomes certified, an annual review and re-certification process will be conducted. Random site visits are projected for one-third of the VIPPS-certified Web site headquarters each year, with all headquarters being visited once every three years. The sites themselves will be checked periodically to ensure they continue to meet the VIPPS™ criteria.

"A number of programs address some of the same criteria as does the VIPPS™ program," says Anderson, "but none cover as many as VIPPS™ does. We're addressing pharmacy practice criteria as defined by regulators, consumers, and by the on-line pharmacies themselves. Because we certify the on-line pharmacies through licensure verification, continuous screening for compliance and on-site inspections to be assured the best in on-line pharmacy care, the public need only look for the VIPPS™ seal."

Editor’s Note: During a formal press conference held September 15, 1999 at its Chicago headquarters, NABP presented the first VIPPS certification to online pharmacies drugstore.com, Merck-Medco Rx Services, and PlanetRx.com.

Mark Paulson (mpaulson@nabp.net) is editorial manager, National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, Chicago, IL