Attention Schedule II Prescribers!

by Steve Uecker, MPH

On September 1, 2018 the Pharmacy Board started issuing a new Official Prescription form for Schedule II Prescriptions.

Effective June 1, 2019, all versions of the Official Prescription Form issued prior to September 1, 2018 will no longer be valid. The changes made to the form are to combat fraud and abuse and is part of a multi-front campaign to address the opioid epidemic. In 2016, over 14,000 people died from prescription opioids excluding methadone in the U.S. (CDC 2018 Annual Surveillance Report of Drug-Related Risks and Outcomes).

Please be advised, the Pharmacy Board is currently reporting that it is taking 6 – 8 weeks for prescribers to receive the new pads. For more information please visit the Pharmacy Board’s website.

Additionally, all prescribers of any scheduled substance are required to register with the Pharmacy Board’s Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP). Beginning September 1, 2019 prescribers must check the PMP for a patient’s prescription history prior to issuing the prescription order.