Idaho News: Requesting Refill Authorizations

September 7, 2010 1:41 PM

Published in the September 2010 Idaho State Board of Pharmacy Newsletter

Effective July 1, 2010, changes to Idaho Code §54-1733 will make requesting refill authorization easier. Previously, if there were no refills remaining on an existing prescription drug order, the pharmacy was required to obtain the practitioner’s signature on the faxed authorization request in order for the prescription to be valid. Excluding prescriptions for controlled substances, in the event there are no refills remaining on an existing prescription drug order, the pharmacist may request refill authorization from the practitioner’s agent after the agent obtains practitioner authorization. The practitioner’s agent may sign and return the authorization request via facsimile as long as the refill request is generated from the pharmacy; the request is for medication that the patient is currently taking; there are no changes to the drug, strength, or directions for use; the practitioner’s agent’s transmission is received via facsimile from the practitioner’s office; and the request transmitted to the requesting pharmacy by the practitioner’s agent contains all components of a valid drug order.