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STATE OF NEW YORK DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH Corning Tower The Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza Albany, NY 12237 Antonia C. Novello, M.D., M.P.H., Dr. P.H. Dennis P. Whalen Commissioner Executive Deputy Commissioner Dear Practitioner: Prescription fraud is an increasing problem that drives up healthcare costs and poses a threat to the safety of all New York State citizens. Prescription medications obtained through fraudulent means end up on the street or in the home medicine cabinets of unsuspecting patients. To combat this serious health care crisis, a new law will dramatically reduce the amount of drugs being diverted from legitimate medical use by preventing alterations, forgeries, and counterfeiting of your prescriptions. The new law takes full effect on April 19, 2006, when all prescriptions written in New York—for both controlled and non-controlled substances—must be issued on an Official Prescription form. To order and receive your official prescriptions free of charge, all practitioners must first register with the Department of Health by completing and returning the enclosed registration form. To ensure a smooth transition to the new law, practitioners are strongly urged to register as soon as possible and begin using official prescriptions now for all their prescribing. Registered practitioners are also urged to set up a Health Provider Network (HPN) account and order their official prescriptions online by visiting our web site at: https://commerce.health.state.ny.us/pub (please note the “s”at the end of http). Ordering Official Prescriptions online is more efficient and allows you to obtain greater quantities than orders placed manually. Through an HPN account, you can also customize your prescriptions to include up to twenty practitioners and up to four different addresses. Exclusively through the HPN account, official prescription paper will be available for practitioners who employ an electronic medical record system to print prescriptions by computer in their offices. We urge you to promptly register with us using the enclosed registration application so that you can begin receiving your official prescriptions free of charge. A question and answer sheet is also included to inform you about the new law. Should you have any questions regarding the new law, please call our toll-free number at 1-866-772-4683. Thank you for your cooperation in helping New York State fight prescription fraud. Sincerely,
Antonia C. Novello, M.D., M.P.H., Dr. P.H. Commissioner of Health New York State Department of Health Official Prescription Program – Registration Unit 433 River Street, 4th Floor Troy, NY 12180 1 (866) 772-4683 Official New York State Prescription Registration Form Please complete this registration form and the enclosed order form to obtain free Official New York State Prescriptions. APPLICANT’S NAME LAST
FIRST MI
NYS LICENSE NUMBER PROFESSION
DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION (DEA) NUMBER
DEA REGISTERED ADDRESS AS IT APPEARS ON YOUR DEA REGISTRATION**** (See note below.)
CITY
STATE ZIP CODE
PHONE NUMBER FAX NUMBER (AREA CODE) (AREA CODE)
APPLICANT'S BUSINESS E-MAIL ADDRESS _____________________________________________________ @________________________________UNDER PENALTY OF PERJURY, I AFFIRM THAT THE STATEMENTS HEREIN ARE TRUE. APPLICANT'S SIGNATURE ______________________________________________ (Original Ink Only) PRINT NAME ______________________________________________ DATE ______________________________________________ PLEASE MAIL COMPLETED FORMS TO THE ADDRESS LISTED ABOVE. FAXES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. ****Your prescriptions may only be shipped to your DEA address and this address will be imprinted on your prescriptions. If you need to change your DEA registered address, contact DEA at 800-882-9539. Once you have received confirmation from the DEA that your address has been updated, please submit a copy of your revised DEA registration with this application form. DOH-4329 (1/05)
Questions and Answers for Practitioners Regarding the New Official Prescription Program
Q. What new law has recently been passed that affects how practitioners write prescriptions for their patients? A. A new Section 21 of the Public Health Law requires that by April 19, 2006, all prescriptions (both for controlled substances and non-controlled substances) written in New York State be issued on an official New York State prescription form, the same form that was previously required for prescribing Schedule II and Benzodiazepine controlled substances. By April 19, 2006, all practitioners must be registered to receive official prescriptions. Q. What is the purpose of the new law? A. The new law will combat the growing problem of prescription fraud. Official prescriptions contain security features specifically designed to prevent alterations and forgeries that divert drugs for sale on the black market. Some of these contaminated drugs end up in patients’ medicine cabinets. By preventing fraudulent claims, the law will also save New York’s Medicaid program and private insurers many millions of dollars every year.
Q. Does the law change the way practitioners issue prescriptions? A. It is important to note that the law makes no changes in the way practitioners issue prescriptions. Practitioners will still prescribe for their patients in the same manner. Only the prescription form itself will change.
Q. Does the law change the way patients get their prescriptions filled? A. No. Pharmacies will still fill prescriptions and maintain prescription records for patients as they always have.
Q. When does the new law go into effect? A. It is important to note that an official prescription continues to be required for prescribing schedule II and benzodiazepine controlled substances. To give the medical community adequate time to convert to the new forms, there will be a transition period in which both an official prescription or a practitioner’s current prescription blank may be used to prescribe all other medications. After April 19, 2006, all written prescriptions must be issued on the Official Prescription form. Q. How will practitioners obtain their official prescriptions for prescribing? A. A practitioner must first register with the Department of Health. The Department will provide official prescriptions to registered practitioners free of charge. Practitioners will be issued individualized official prescriptions preprinted with their practice information. In the near future, the forms will also be issued to group practices and to hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare facilities for use by staff practitioners.
Q. What procedure must practitioners follow to register to receive their official prescriptions? A. In phases, all practitioners will be mailed informational materials and an application for registration, which also will be issued without fee. You are urged to complete and submit the application promptly. Once registered, you will be given specific details on how to easily order official prescriptions by mail, telephone, or internet. They will be mailed to an appropriate address listed on your registration. By April 19, 2006, all practitioners must be registered to receive official prescriptions.
Q. Are practitioners who currently purchase official prescriptions by mail for prescribing schedule II and benzodiazepine controlled substances also required to register? A. Yes. These practitioners will be the first to be sent applications for registration. Once these practitioners have registered, they will be provided with their prescriptions free of charge.
Q. What is the best way for registered practitioners to order official prescriptions? A. The Department has developed a secure Internet web site for this purpose. It is the fastest and easiest way to order official prescriptions. Ordering over the Internet will offer the convenience of imprinting official prescriptions with multiple practice addresses and the names of practitioners in group practices. It will also allow a practitioner to designate an alternate who is authorized to order official prescriptions on his or her behalf. Q. How must official prescriptions be secured? A. Practitioners should safeguard their official prescriptions against loss, theft, or unauthorized use. It is important to note that official prescriptions issued to group practices or multiple offices are not required to be stored in a central location. Practitioners may store and use the prescriptions issued to them at any location where they practice.
Q. Are practitioners licensed in other states required to prescribe on an official prescription for their patients living in New York? A. No. Out-of-state practitioners may prescribe on their own personal prescription blank. If the prescriptions contain all information required by law, New York pharmacies will be allowed to fill them in the same manner as official prescriptions. Q. Is electronic prescribing still allowed under the new law? A. Yes. A practitioner may still transmit a prescription for a non-controlled medication to a pharmacy by secure electronic means. Electronic prescribing of controlled substances is not yet permissible and will be contingent upon federal and New York State regulations. The new law encourages practitioners to convert to electronic prescribing, which reduces medication errors and does not require the use of an official prescription. For medical practices that utilize an electronic medical records system to generate prescriptions in their offices, the Department has future plans to provide official prescriptions forms designed for computer printers.
Q. Will the Department of Health collect data from official prescriptions? A. The new law requires pharmacies to submit data only from prescriptions dispensed for all controlled substances. The Department will monitor this data to protect practitioners from drug seekers.
Q. How will the monitoring of official prescription data protect practitioners from drug seekers? A. The new law allows the Department to notify practitioners when analyses of official prescription data indicate that their patients are obtaining controlled substances from multiple sources, an illegal and dangerous activity known as ‘doctor shopping’. ‘Doctor Shopper’ programs in other states enjoy overwhelming support from their medical communities and have reduced this drug-seeking activity by as much as 65%. The Department is in the process of establishing this new program.
Q. Whom can practitioners contact with questions about the new law and official prescriptions? A. A Help Desk is readily available at 1-866-772-4683 to answer your questions and provide information about how to register and order your official prescriptions.
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