As of October 6th pain medications such as OxyContin, Vicodin, and other drugs containing hydrocodone were reclassified to Schedule II drugs. Previously non-physician practitioners (NPPs) were able to write prescriptions for these drugs, but the new classification could limit what prescriptions that they can write. Practices can check the DEA prescriptive authority by state at www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drugreg/practioners/mlp_by_state.pdf
Originally these drugs were classified as Schedule III, meaning that the drugs had a low to moderate potential for addiction. Schedule II drugs are defined as having a high potential for abuse, which may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence.
It is important to review the changes with staff to reduce the impact on practices and patients. All staff who deals with pain medication prescriptions should know the requirements:
- Prescriptions limited to a 90 day supply
- No refills
- No fax prescriptions
- Some states may require prescriptions to be filled out in triplicate
- Phone prescriptions are only available in an emergency