DPH has announced that the Massachusetts Controlled Substance Registration (MCSR) system is moving online, but that until the new system goes into effect, the state’s eLicensing system will be offline for an upgrade.
Massachusetts law requires every person who manufacturers, distributes, prescribes, administers, dispenses, or possesses controlled substances in Schedules II-V to be registered with both the MCSR and US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Prescription drugs that are not federally scheduled (Schedule VI) are recognized as controlled substances under state law, and for these, practitioners only need to get an MCSR, and not a DEA number.
Affected practitioners will be able to apply for and renew their MCSR through the same system that the Bureau of Health Professions Licensure Boards already use. But the system will be offline from Friday, December 28 from 2 p.m. until Monday, January 7, 2019, at 10 a.m. to allow for the MCSR upgrade. Because of the inconvenience, DPH says all Bureau of Health Professions Licensure boards will waive license renewal late fees until March 7, 2019, for all licenses and permits due to expire between December 28, 2018 through January 7, 2019; and will allow early renewals.
Additional information is available
here. MCSR will hold several webinars in January; specific dates and times and other details are available
here.