never2many
Member
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2015
- Messages
- 211
So the lovely state I reside in has implemented new dispensing laws effective July 1st as follows:
The biggest change has to do with how much of a drug you can get and when. Under the new law, pharmacists can only partially fill a prescription for no more than half of the number of days it’s written for. And there are limits on prescriptions, too: General prescriptions are limited to a 10-day supply (and no more than 500 cumulative morphine milligram equivalents). Prescriptions after surgery are limited to a 20-day supply (maximum 850 cumulative MMEs). “Medical necessity” prescriptions are limited to a 30-day supply (maximum 1,200 cumulative MMEs). This law technically takes effect July 1, but it won’t be mandated until Jan. 1, 2019, to give pharmacies a chance to update their software.
Some prescriptions are exempt from the requirements and limits, though doctors must still write a diagnosis code and “exempt” on them: Prescriptions for people who are getting palliative cancer treatment or hospice care; who have sickle cell disease; who are inpatients at licensed facilities; who are seen by doctors who meet the state requirements to be “pain management specialists”; who were treated with opioids for 90 days or more; who have severe burns or “major physical trauma”; and who are on methadone, buprenorphine or naltrexone, which are drugs used to assist recovery from addiction.
I guess things are going to get interesting, and not in a good way.
The biggest change has to do with how much of a drug you can get and when. Under the new law, pharmacists can only partially fill a prescription for no more than half of the number of days it’s written for. And there are limits on prescriptions, too: General prescriptions are limited to a 10-day supply (and no more than 500 cumulative morphine milligram equivalents). Prescriptions after surgery are limited to a 20-day supply (maximum 850 cumulative MMEs). “Medical necessity” prescriptions are limited to a 30-day supply (maximum 1,200 cumulative MMEs). This law technically takes effect July 1, but it won’t be mandated until Jan. 1, 2019, to give pharmacies a chance to update their software.
Some prescriptions are exempt from the requirements and limits, though doctors must still write a diagnosis code and “exempt” on them: Prescriptions for people who are getting palliative cancer treatment or hospice care; who have sickle cell disease; who are inpatients at licensed facilities; who are seen by doctors who meet the state requirements to be “pain management specialists”; who were treated with opioids for 90 days or more; who have severe burns or “major physical trauma”; and who are on methadone, buprenorphine or naltrexone, which are drugs used to assist recovery from addiction.
I guess things are going to get interesting, and not in a good way.
