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of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

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    Notifications

    Per Act 96 of 2018 (the Act), prescribers, excluding veterinarians, are required to issue electronic prescriptions for Schedule II-V controlled substances as of October 24, 2019, unless they meet an exception in the Act or in regulations. The Department of Health (Department) is currently in the process of promulgating regulations in accordance with the Act.

    Prescribers will be expected to comply with the Act once regulations are finalized and promulgated by the Department. Prescribers can be compliant by electronically prescribing controlled substances, meeting a statutory exception, or by submitting an approved exemption request to the Department. The Department will notify prescribers of relevant deadlines in advance of the effective date of regulations. Additionally, the Department will widely distribute educational information on the electronic prescribing of controlled substances and the regulations once they are finalized.

    It is important for Pharmacies to know the following:

    1. It is not mandatory for pharmacies to receive electronic prescriptions for controlled substances.
    2. It is not mandatory for pharmacies to verify that a prescription meets a statutory exception or that the prescriber has been issued an exemption from the Department. In many circumstances, it is not possible for pharmacies to know whether a written prescription should have been e-prescribed.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    For more information, including a full list of statutory exceptions, please view our Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances FAQs (last updated: June 2024)