Military Physician Self-Prescribing

[njaqua]

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How does prescribing for self and family/friends (aside from the potential ethical issues) work in the military? I understand that a military doc is usually licensed in any state, so what implications does this have for prescribing priviledges? That is, does the family have to reside in the same state the doc is licensed in? Is it essentially similar to civilian protocols?

 

[usnavdoc]

How does prescribing for self and family/friends (aside from the potential ethical issues) work in the military? I understand that a military doc is usually licensed in any state, so what implications does this have for prescribing priviledges? That is, does the family have to reside in the same state the doc is licensed in? Is it essentially similar to civilian protocols?

When you are prescribing for a military member or their dependant it doesnt matter what state you are in, or whether the member uses civilian pharmacy or military pharmacy. When prescribing for a family member(which is another topic) you abide by civilian pharmacy rules/laws for the state. So if you are in a state other than your license they may not authorize the script, but this is very dependant on the nature of the pharmacist you are talking to. When prescribing for self it is no big deal through the military pharmacy civilian it can be a bit tricky depending on what you are getting. Ie...any pharmacist would give you albuterol mdi although they may not like the idea of giving you your zocor b/c they want to make sure somone is folowing the condition.

I think most physicians/pharmacists medically, ethically, and legally would tell you to steer away from this practice.

Ive found that once you are talking to a pharmacist and have a sound reason for whatever you need then they are willing to help out. Ex..I had PRK and 3 weeks later flew to Wisconsin on vacation for a long weekend. My FML eyedrops opened in mybag and I needed a replacement. I had no issues getting what i needed from walmart pharmacy in the middle of nowhere with a NC license.

 

[PharmD2MD]

When you are prescribing for a military member or their dependant it doesnt matter what state you are in, or whether the member uses civilian pharmacy or military pharmacy. When prescribing for a family member(which is another topic) you abide by civilian pharmacy rules/laws for the state. So if you are in a state other than your license they may not authorize the script, but this is very dependant on the nature of the pharmacist you are talking to. When prescribing for self it is no big deal through the military pharmacy civilian it can be a bit tricky depending on what you are getting. Ie...any pharmacist would give you albuterol mdi although they may not like the idea of giving you your zocor b/c they want to make sure somone is folowing the condition.

I think most physicians/pharmacists medically, ethically, and legally would tell you to steer away from this practice.

Ive found that once you are talking to a pharmacist and have a sound reason for whatever you need then they are willing to help out. Ex..I had PRK and 3 weeks later flew to Wisconsin on vacation for a long weekend. My FML eyedrops opened in mybag and I needed a replacement. I had no issues getting what i needed from walmart pharmacy in the middle of nowhere with a NC license.

I'm a former navy pharmacist- never really cared if docs put rx's in for themselves or their families & buddies as long as was for a simple self limiting issue. They've helped me out a few times with some z-paks or whatever, so I'll usually try to help them. No controlled substances of course, BUMED policy and state boards of pharmacy prohibit doing this with controlled substances. A nice feature of BUMED policy is that the pharmacist is authorized to dispense up to a 30 day supply of a medication if the patient has run out of refills. Can't do this in the civilian world. This allows some leeway if someone runs out of their zocor or whatever.

 

[alpha62]

I could never get a straight answer on this issue.
I have seen a lot of people self Rx. and Rx for family

I've seen the medlog system so screwed up that it was easier to just Rx myself a couple of meds I knew I'd really need for the troops.

I've also seen self Rx, even for abx and such, used against somebody they've decided was being a problem child and that's all they could dig up on the guy.