Pharmacists correcting schedule II prescriptions: DEA flip-flops continue.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has in recent years engaged in flip-flopping over important policy decisions. The most recent example involved whether a pharmacist can correct a written schedule II prescription upon verification with the prescriber. For several years the DEA's policy permitted this practice. Then the DEA issued a conflicting policy statement in 2007 in the preamble to the multiple schedule II prescription regulation, causing a series of subsequent contradictory statements ending with the policy that pharmacists should follow state law or policy until the Agency issues a regulation. It is doubtful that the DEA's opinion in the preamble would in itself constitute legal authority, or that the Agency would try to enforce the opinion. Nonetheless, these flip-flop opinions have confused pharmacists, caused some pharmacies to have claims rejected by third party payors, and most likely have inconvenienced patients.
Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, California 95211, USA. rabood@pacific.edu
Richard R
RR
Abood
D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D004335:Drug and Narcotic Control / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000458:organization & administration; D024382:Professional Role; D014481:United States; D037041:United States Government Agencies