Substantive Policy

Guidance Policy for Transfer of Rx Info to another pharmacy for a Rx not filled by original pharmacy

PRESCRIPTION TRANSFER POLICY STATEMENT

BACKGROUND: The requirements for transferring original and refill prescription information from one pharmacy to another are detailed in A.A.C. R4-23-407(D). Most transfers occur when a patient, after filling a prescription at pharmacy (A), chooses to go to pharmacy (B) to obtain a refill of the prescription filled at pharmacy (A). However, sometimes a prescription is either phoned or faxed to pharmacy (A) by the medical practitioner's office, and pharmacy (A) does not have the drug needed to fill the prescription or the patient chooses to go to pharmacy (B) to pick up the prescription instead of pharmacy (A). Whatever the reason, when the patient wants the prescription received by pharmacy (A) filled at pharmacy (B), pharmacy (A) cannot:

1. Call the prescription into pharmacy (B), because the pharmacist is not the medical practitioner's agent;
2. Fax the prescription to pharmacy (B), because the pharmacy is not the medical practitioner's office; or
3. Give a copy of the prescription to the patient, because a copy cannot be filled by pharmacy (B).

In actual practice, pharmacy (A) usually calls and gives the prescription to pharmacy (B) as a new prescription. There is usually no record of the original prescription kept in pharmacy (A). A consumer complaint brought this issue to the Board's attention, when a prescription phoned into pharmacy (B) from pharmacy (A) was filled incorrectly by pharmacy (B).

POLICY: To reduce the chance for errors and promote safe, consistent, and legal pharmacy practice, the Board establishes a prescription transfer policy for those instances when a prescription is phoned or faxed to pharmacy (A) but is actually filled by pharmacy (B).

In those instances, where a prescription is phoned or faxed to pharmacy (A) and pharmacy (A) either, does not have the drug to fill the prescription and is asked by the patient or patient's agent to have the prescription filled at pharmacy (B) or is asked by the patient or patient's agent to have the prescription filled at pharmacy (B), pharmacy (A) should enter the prescription into the pharmacy's computer system, assign the prescription a serial number, and then transfer the prescription information as required in R4-23-407(D) to pharmacy (B). Pharmacy (A) must maintain hard-copy and computer records that indicate that the original and refill prescription information were transferred to pharmacy (B) and that no quantity of drug was dispensed by pharmacy (A). If the prescription received by pharmacy (A) was faxed from the medical practitioner's office, then pharmacy (A) should also fax the prescription to pharmacy (B) after performing the transfer.