Changes to Requirements for Written Prescriptions

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Changes to Requirements for Written Prescriptions

FMA Specialty Societies:

Some of you are getting questions regarding the new legible prescription law. Below is what the FMA has sent out in our Enews and on our webpage. The Department of Health is also getting information out on this. Let me know if you have any questions.

Francie Plendl
FMA

CHANGES TO REQUIREMENTS FOR WRITTEN PRESCRIPTIONS
On July 1, 2003, Senate Bill 2084 goes into effect. The bill provides that all written prescriptions (whether they are issued by physicians or other health care practitioners) must be legibly printed or typed - this codifies current policy of the Board of Medicine. The new law also reiterates current law, stating that the prescription must contain:

the name of the prescribing practitioner
the name and strength of the drug prescribed
the quantity of the drug prescribed
the directions for use of the drug
the date of the prescription
In addition the prescription must be signed by the prescribing practitioner on the day when issued.

The only provisions of the law that are new are that now the quantity must be in both textual and numerical formats (100/one hundred) and the month must be written in textual letters (July 2 instead of 7/2).