Pennsylvania State Regulations
Inpatient/Residential Substance Use Facilities
Inpatient/Residential Mental Health Facilities
Requirement to support patient medical needs:
Self-administration of infusion/injection medications:
-
SUD facilities are required to assist clients in obtaining supportive medical services when necessary. This should include access to administration of infusion/injection medication, if the client is unable to self-administer and the facility does not have appropriately licensed or credentialed staff.
Date/Source
§ 711.63. Project management services.
Accessed July 2025
-
Provided that a SUD facility has policies and procedures for self-administration of medications, there is nothing in the regulations that prohibits a client from self-administering medications.
Date/Source
Accessed July 2025
-
It is unclear if SUD facilities permit clients to bring medications from home/outside of the facility. However, there is nothing in the current regulations that prohibit this.
Date/Source
N/A
Accessed July 2025
-
It is unclear if SUD facilities permit staff to administer medications to clients. However, there is nothing in the regulations that prohibit this. The regulations do say that facilities should assist clients in obtaining supportive medical services when necessary. This could include permitting staff to administer infusion/injection medications, if the client is unable to self-administer.
Date/Source
§ 711.63. Project management services.
Accessed July 2025
-
It is unclear if SUD facilities permit external providers to administer medications to clients. However, there is nothing in the regulations that prohibit this. The regulations do say that facilities should assist clients in obtaining supportive medical services when necessary. This could include permitting external providers to administer infusion/injection medications, if the client is unable to self-administer and the facility does not have appropriately licensed or credentialed staff.
Date/Source
§ 711.63. Project management services.
Accessed July 2025
-
There are no current regulations that prevent facilities from denying patients who use injection/infusion medications. Facilities are allowed to make their own policies for admission per decision of the Medical Director. However, according to staff from the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, exclusions for people who use infusion/injection medication is not typical in SUD admission criteria policies.
Date/Source
Source: DDAP Director of DDAP Bureau Program Licensure, via email on May 29, 2025.
-
We are unaware of reference to federal protections for people with disabilities in the administrative code.
Date/Source
Accessed July 2025
-
Per Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services guidelines, hospitals are required to have pharmaceutical services that meet the needs of patients. This language suggests that hospitals are required to procure infusion/injection medications if a patient requires them.
Date/Source
§482.25 Conditions of Participation: Pharmaceutical Services
-
Facilities are required to make arrangements with individual practitioners or health care services to ensure ongoing medical care for each client.
Date/Source
-
Facilities are required to develop written arrangements for providing routine medical care for residents. To meet the needs of residents, some services are provided under agreements with outside sources.
Date/Source
-
Facilities are required to identify acute and chronic conditions of a child and arrange for or provide appropriate medical treatment. A child has the right to appropriate medical treatment.
Date/Source
-
There are no regulations that pertain to a facility’s requirement to support patients’ medical needs.
Date/Source
-
There are no regulations that pertain to a facility’s requirement to support patients’ medical needs.
Date/Source
-
There are no regulations that pertain to a facility’s requirement to support patients’ medical needs.
-
Per Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services guidelines, hospitals may allow a patient (or his or her caregiver/support person where appropriate) to self-administer both hospital-issued medications and the patient’s own medications brought into the hospital, as defined and specified in the hospital’s policies and procedures.
Date/Source
-
The regulations state that medication policies and procedures should include how the goal of self-medication is to be achieved, as well how facilities will assist clients with access to medications when they are unable to self-administer. This language suggests that self-administration is permitted in CCRS adult facilities.
Date/Source
-
Facilities are required to establish and implement written medication policies and procedures that conform to Pennsylvania law. Medication administration policies and procedures should address how residents who need assistance with medication prescribed by a physician for self-administration receive it, as well as a planned program towards self-administration of medication. This language suggests that if a resident is able to self-administer their medication, they would be permitted to do so if the facility has a written policy and procedure in place.
Date/Source
-
A child is permitted to self-administer medications, so long as a person who meets the qualifications of § 3800.187(a)(1)—(4) (relating to administration) is physically present observing the administration and immediately records the administration in accordance with § 3800.184 (relating to medication log) and the child recognizes and distinguishes the medication and knows the condition or illness for which the medication is prescribed, the correct dosage and when the medication is to be taken.
Date/Source
-
There is no language in the regulations regarding self-administration in mental health facilities. However, there are no regulations that prohibit it.
Date/Source
-
There is no language in the regulations regarding self-administration in CCRS child facilities. However, there are no regulations that prohibit it.
Date/Source
-
There is no language in the regulations regarding self-administration in RFT adult facilities. However, there are no regulations that prohibit it
Bringing in prescribed infusion/injection medications from home/outside pharmacy:
-
Per Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services guidelines, hospitals may allow a patient to use their own medications brought into the hospital, as defined and specified in the hospital’s policies and procedures.
Date/Source
-
There is no language in the regulations regarding a patient’s ability to bring in medications from home/outside of the facility. However, there are no regulations that prohibit it.
-
There are no regulations that pertain to residents bringing medications from home/an outside pharmacy into the facility. However, there are no regulations that prohibit it.
-
There are no regulations that pertain to residents bringing medications from home/an outside pharmacy into the facility. However, there are no regulations that prohibit it.
-
There are no regulations that pertain to residents bringing medications from home/an outside pharmacy into the facility. However, there are no regulations that prohibit it.