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Washington News: Medicaid Tamper-Resistant Prescriptions
Published in the October 2008 Washington State Board of Pharmacy Newsletter
Note: Effective October 1, 2008, all outpatient Medicaid prescription forms must have all of the following characteristics:
- Pads must prevent unauthorized copying of completed or blank prescription forms.
- Pads must prevent erasure or modification of writing on the prescription form.
- Pads must be distinctive and irreproducible, such as including a watermark.
If you have any questions, please contact Siri Childs 360/725-1564 at the Department of Social and Health Services.
Q: Does the tamper-resistant requirement apply to over-the-counter (OTC) products?
A: Yes. OTC products that require a prescription for reimbursement under Medicaid must be tamper resistant.
Q: How does this provision apply to discharge prescriptions for a Medicaid patient when they leave an inpatient setting with prescriptions to be filled at an outpatient pharmacy?
A: If the prescription is written, then it must be tamper resistant.
Q: If my pharmacy receives a transfer prescription, does the transferred prescription need to be tamper resistant?
A: Your pharmacy only needs to obtain a phone call or fax from the other pharmacy to confirm the authenticity of the tamper-resistant prescription that was previously delivered to the other pharmacy. You do not need to obtain confirmation of the original prescription from the prescriber. If the fax comes across with Void/Illegal/Copy wording across the prescriptions, you will need to call the prescriber to verify the prescription and reclassify the prescription as a being received by telephone.
Q: Could my pharmacy be audited by State Medicaid for compliant prescriptions?
A. Yes. This requirement will be one of the auditable categories that could be documented during a State Medicaid audit. The pharmacist is accountable for ensuring the Medicaid prescription is compliant with the tamper-resistant requirements.
(Questions and Answers – courtesy of the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs)
