Advice from a Maryland RPh

[kvl1027]

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Alright, so I've applied for reciprocity and I'm preparing for the MD MPJE. As I'm reading I see that in HO - sec. 12-503, that any prescription cannot be filled more than 120 days beyond the written date. What are the exceptions to this rule? This seems a little ridiculous to me.

According to the CDS Regulations a C-III or C-IV may be filled for up to 6 months and for no more than 5 refills, which contradicts the previous regulation. Obviously, we would need to default to the more strict of the two, but it seems like it would be difficult to force a patient to get a new script for simvastatin every 4 months. Am I missing something here?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[zelman]

Alright, so I've applied for reciprocity and I'm preparing for the MD MPJE. As I'm reading I see that in HO - sec. 12-503, that any prescription cannot be filled more than 120 days beyond the written date. What are the exceptions to this rule? This seems a little ridiculous to me.

According to the CDS Regulations a C-III or C-IV may be filled for up to 6 months and for no more than 5 refills, which contradicts the previous regulation. Obviously, we would need to default to the more strict of the two, but it seems like it would be difficult to force a patient to get a new script for simvastatin every 4 months. Am I missing something here?

Any help would be appreciated.

I'm not licensed in MD, but I assume that's referring to the initial fill. NY Medicaid has a similar policy (although theirs is either 30 or 60 days).

 

[Rockinacoustic]

Maryland HO 12-503: "Unless otherwise instructed by the authorized prescriber who issues the prescription, a pharmacist may not dispense any drug or device on a prescription presented more than 120 days after the date the prescription was issued."

I guess the keyword here is "presented", which means this pertains only to new prescriptions i.e. the first fill.

So if your simvastatin prescription was written on 6/9/2014 and you filled it on 10/8/2014, it's still refillable until 6/9/2015... because the patient presented it within the 120 day window.

 

[chronice]

So what about of the prescription is on file in the system and the patient wanted to use that prescription after the 4 months? Is the script expired or can you still fill it?

 

[Rockinacoustic]

So what about of the prescription is on file in the system and the patient wanted to use that prescription after the 4 months? Is the script expired or can you still fill it?

Expired. The prescription must be first filled within 120 days of the date written.

 

[kvl1027]

I guess the keyword here is "presented", which means this pertains only to new prescriptions i.e. the first fill.

So if your simvastatin prescription was written on 6/9/2014 and you filled it on 10/8/2014, it's still refillable until 6/9/2015... because the patient presented it within the 120 day window.

Thanks for the clarification. That is the assumption I was making, however when it comes to law exams assumptions are never adequate enough to elicit a response.