DPH is proposing regulations that will require almost every prescription generated in Massachusetts to be issued in a federally compliant electronic format as opposed to being written on a paper pad.
The regulations are needed to implement Chapter 208 of the Acts of 2018 – that is, Governor Baker’s CARE Act that the legislature passed last July to fight the opioid epidemic.
Under the proposed rules, all prescriptions for drugs that fall under the federal Schedules II through V, as well as what Massachusetts terms some Schedule VI drugs, must be issued by electronic prescription.
There are exceptions for compounded drugs, for prescriptions issued under a time-limited waiver for economic hardship or technological limitations, for prescriptions issued in certain emergency situations, and for Schedule VI drugs issued by a prescriber with only a Schedule VI Massachusetts Controlled Substance Registration, among others.
The regulations also contain provisions allowing a patient to choose to have a prescription partially filled. This is to permit patients to receive, for example, a strong opioid to counter pain in the short term without having to worry about extra, unneeded pills being left over and subject to future misuse.
A hearing on the proposed changes is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 27, in the Public Health Council Room, Second Floor, DPH, 250 Washington Street, Boston. MHA and member hospitals have been involved in the draft guideline process to date and plan to provide further feedback to DPH.