Medication Policies
MEDICATION POLICIES
General Medication Policies:
To Protect your Safety and to Maintain Accuracy of Dose & Usage:
- Prescriptions are NOT called into the pharmacy. They are written and given to you at your visit for you to take to your pharmacy. When necessary, they can be faxed to the pharmacy of your choice.
- If you have been given a written prescription and we then received a FAXED request from your pharmacy for the same medication, the FAX will be denied.
- Prescriptions can be FAXED only during business hours. Please provide the phone/FAX number of your pharmacy. Due to the large number of pharmacies on same or similar streets, we cannot look up the number for you.
- Refills are NOT authorized outside of business hours when your chart is inaccessible.
Initial Prescriptions:
- Are generally written at the time of your visit.
- May or may not have refills on them depending upon your prior history of taking medications and your current needs.
Side Effects/Problems:
- Please call the office should you have any problems or side effects with the medication.
- Every effort is made to ensure maximum relief of your symptoms with the medication. Issues brought to my attention are addressed.
Follow up Visits:
- A follow up visit is scheduled in 2-3 weeks to determine the efficacy of your medication. It will either be 25-minute visit or 50 minute visit depending upon your need.
- A written prescription with refills will be given at the time of your follow up visit if stable on the medication.
- Please schedule your appointments so that your visit is before you run out of medications.
- Plan at least 1-2 weeks to get an appointment and possibly longer during busier times of year.
If you need to reschedule your appointment:
- Please check your bottles to ensure you have enough until the next scheduled appointment.
- If you do not have enough, please have your pharmacy FAX us a written request for a refill.
- Refills will be authorized ONLY DURING OFFICE HOURS (Monday through Thursday)AND ONLY for the AMOUNT NEEDED until your next scheduled appointment.
- FAXES received after 6 PM on Thursday will be authorized on the following Monday (or Tuesday, in the event Monday is a holiday).
- If it has been longer than 3 months since your last visit, a refill of one month will be provided. No further refills will be authorized until you are seen for an appointment.
Travel/Vacations:
- Please ensure that you take any needed medications with you on trips away from home.
- Running out of medications on a weekend or forgetting to take your medications out of town with you on a trip is NOT considered an EMERGENCY.
CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE POLICY:
As of January 1, 2009 Controlled Substances have become more closely monitored by the Arizona Board of Pharmacy and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
- Prescriptions for any class of controlled substances should be filled at the same pharmacy. Taking your prescriptions to 2 or 3 different pharmacies places you on alert with the above agencies.
- Controlled substances should be written by the same provider. If you are obtaining prescriptions for the SAME or GENERIC of the SAME controlled substance from different providers, you and your providers may/will be red-flagged for review.
Class IV (Closely monitored):
- Categories of Class IV:
- Medications for sleep: Ambien, Ambien CR, Lunesta, Restoril, Temezepam, Halcion, and others
- Medications for anxiety: Xanax (alprazolem), Ativan (lorazepam), Klonopin (clonazepam)
- Medications for pain that are NOT prescribed in my practice.
- Policies:
- Are written only for the amount needed.
- Can be written with refills and filled up to six months from the date on the initial prescription.
- Refills CAN be requested by FAX
- Must remain under your control at all times
- Will not be replaced if lost, stolen, misplaced, borrowed, eaten by dog etc.
Class II (Strictly Monitored):
- Categories of Class II:
- Medications for the treatment of attention Deficit disorder: Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta, Focalin, Vyvanse and all generic equivalents
- Highly controlled pain medications that I do NOT prescribe
- Mandated Policies by the DEA:
- Are written for 30 days or ONE MONTH supply only (unless you have a mail in pharmacy benefit that allows for 90 days supply of Class II medications - most do not)
- CANNOT be written with refills.
- Must be filled within 90 days of the date on the prescription
- Only written prescription on a piece of paper will be accepted at the pharmacy
- Refills CANNOT be requested by FAX
- Refills CANNOT be FAXED to the pharmacy.
- Must be picked up in person at the office.
- Must remain under your control at all times.
- Will NOT be replaced if lost, stolen, misplaced, borrowed, eaten by dog etc
- You will be given three prescriptions at your appointment, one for each of the next three months. Most pharmacies will not hold all three of them at the same time. You must bring one in each month.