Prescriptions from other countries

[jpharmfarm]

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I work in NC as a pharmacist but this question could probably apply to any state. Can we accept prescriptions from other countries? Thanks in advance for anyone who knows this.

 

[Artful Dodger]

I'm probably not the most qualified person to speak on the issue, but...when my grandma came to visit us from the UK, she ran out of prescription meds. We called up our family doctor, and they saw her right away & wrote her prescriptions. So, what I'm assuming is...pharmacists won't dispense unless the prescription was written by a U.S. licensed physician - the DEA licenses only physicians in this country (not other countries). but hey, there could be some exceptions...

 

[jpharmfarm]

that's what i kind of figured but i wasn't and am still not 100% positive. If it was for a control I'd say no way but it's for Nuvaring so who really cares.

 

[Storm90]

In Canada, we can take a prescription from a MD with a license anywhere in Canada, and yes, we have ways of verifying if they have a license. However, if the prescription doesn't follow provincial guidelines, it has to be rewritten properly. We do not recognize Rx's from any country.

 

[Hels2007]

A prescription has to be written by a physician licensed to practice in US. No scripts from other countries. I am not sure about Puerto Rico, since it's a colony... I don't think we can legally fill them, though.

Also, depending on the state, there could be additional issues. I believe Michigan requries that a control substance be written by a Michigan MD in order for it to be filled by a Michigan pharmacy, that's what a pharmacist from Michigan called me when I needed to transfer a script from them.

 

[danado]

i think prescriptions from Puerto Rico are OK. I'm just a technician but i work in a very touristy area. We also fill prescriptions written by doctors in the Virgin Islands (we have a port with cruise ships just down the road from my store, and when cruise ship employees are in the Virgin Islands they will get an Rx from a doctor there, who has a DEA number, and bring the Rx back here.) That said, half the time the Rx isn't written properly, or is written for something we don't have in this part of the US (last week i had one for ascorbic acid cream...???? i'm sure you can compound it but come on.) anyway yeah i'm pretty sure US territories are OK because they follow the same prescribing laws as the states. Oh and they have walgreens in puerto rico and you can transfer prescriptions filled in PR to a walgreens here and it can be filled. again the prescriber just needs to have a DEA number, which most doctors in US territories do.

 

[Hels2007]

again the prescriber just needs to have a DEA number, which most doctors in US territories do.

DEA numbers have nothing to do with it. DEA numbers are only necessary to write controlled substance prescriptions, and if the doctor does not need to write them in the course of their normal practice, they may elect not to register with the DEA. And now with the NPI numbers, insurance is no longer tied to DEA number (though there were ways around that too).

What is necessary is for the prescriber to be licensed somewhere in the United States. State medical boards have the authority to regulate who prescribes what, and license prescribers, not the DEA, which only regulates controlled substances. Two entirely different bodies. 🙂

Interesting about Puerto Rico. I need to read up on that...

 

[bananaface]

In WA it was okay to fill an out of state Rx as long as the physician had a US license - Puerto Rico, Guam, or any other territory was fine. The specifics will vary by state. If your state law says licensed in the US vs licensed in another US state, the rules are going to be different.

The rules may also vary by drug class. Awhile back CA required CIIs to be written on a state approved triplicate form with copies being sent back to the physician and state after filling. No out of state CIIs were happening there. I think that system is gone now, but I don't know if they allow OOS CIIs at this point or not.

 

[danado]

DEA numbers have nothing to do with it. DEA numbers are only necessary to write controlled substance prescriptions, and if the doctor does not need to write them in the course of their normal practice, they may elect not to register with the DEA. And now with the NPI numbers, insurance is no longer tied to DEA number (though there were ways around that too).

What is necessary is for the prescriber to be licensed somewhere in the United States. State medical boards have the authority to regulate who prescribes what, and license prescribers, not the DEA, which only regulates controlled substances. Two entirely different bodies. 🙂

Interesting about Puerto Rico. I need to read up on that...

true hels2007. what i was trying to say is that that is kind of a criteria we use to see if we can fill it or not... i.e. if they have a DEA number then it's definitely okay. you're right, technically it's got nothing to do with it. now we can use NPI, like you said, as identifying criteria, and if they have an NPI then it's okay. sorry, you're right i did word it wrong.

 

[TTUMike]

I actually had someone drop off a prescription at my pharmacy from a doctor in Mexico. I was hesitant to accept it but the pharmacist on staff went ahead and filled it. He said there was no problem with it. Seemed a bit strange to me.