SEARCH SITE
VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL
- Code of Virginia
- Virginia Administrative Code
- Constitution of Virginia
- Charters
- Authorities
- Compacts
- Uncodified Acts
- RIS Users (account required)
SEARCHABLE DATABASES
- Bills & Resolutions
session legislation - Bill Summaries
session summaries - Reports to the General Assembly
House and Senate documents - Legislative Liaisons
State agency contacts
ACROSS SESSIONS
- Subject Index: Since 1995
- Bills & Resolutions: Since 1994
- Summaries: Since 1994
Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.
2010 SESSION
10101277DBe it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That § 54.1-3303 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 54.1-3303. Prescriptions to be issued and drugs to be dispensed for medical or therapeutic purposes only.
A. A prescription for a controlled substance may be issued only by a practitioner of medicine, osteopathy, podiatry, dentistry or veterinary medicine who is authorized to prescribe controlled substances, or by a licensed nurse practitioner pursuant to § 54.1-2957.01, a licensed physician assistant pursuant to § 54.1-2952.1, or a TPA-certified optometrist pursuant to Article 5 (§ 54.1-3222 et seq.) of Chapter 32 of this title. The prescription shall be issued for a medicinal or therapeutic purpose and may be issued only to persons or animals with whom the practitioner has a bona fide practitioner-patient relationship.
For purposes of this section, a bona fide practitioner-patient-pharmacist relationship is one in which a practitioner prescribes, and a pharmacist dispenses, controlled substances in good faith to his patient for a medicinal or therapeutic purpose within the course of his professional practice. In addition, a bona fide practitioner-patient relationship means that the practitioner shall (i) ensure that a medical or drug history is obtained; (ii) provide information to the patient about the benefits and risks of the drug being prescribed; (iii) perform or have performed an appropriate examination of the patient, either physically or by the use of instrumentation and diagnostic equipment through which images and medical records may be transmitted electronically; except for medical emergencies, the examination of the patient shall have been performed by the practitioner himself, within the group in which he practices, or by a consulting practitioner prior to issuing a prescription; and (iv) initiate additional interventions and follow-up care, if necessary, especially if a prescribed drug may have serious side effects. Any practitioner who prescribes any controlled substance with the knowledge that the controlled substance will be used otherwise than medicinally or for therapeutic purposes shall be subject to the criminal penalties provided in § 18.2-248 for violations of the provisions of law relating to the distribution or possession of controlled substances.
B. In order to determine whether a prescription that appears questionable to the pharmacist results from a bona fide practitioner-patient relationship, the pharmacist shall contact the prescribing practitioner or his agent and verify the identity of the patient and name and quantity of the drug prescribed. The person knowingly filling an invalid prescription shall be subject to the criminal penalties provided in § 18.2-248 for violations of the provisions of law relating to the sale, distribution or possession of controlled substances.
No prescription shall be filled unless there is a bona fide practitioner-patient-pharmacist relationship. A prescription not issued in the usual course of treatment or for authorized research is not a valid prescription.
C. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a practitioner may prescribe Schedule VI controlled substances, consistent with recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Health, without having performed the patient examination required in clause (iii) of subsection A, when, in his professional judgment, he deems there is urgency to begin treatment or to prevent the transmission of a communicable disease to close contacts of a diagnosed patient with whom the practitioner meets all other requirements of a bona fide practitioner-patient relationship as defined in subsection A.
D. A pharmacist may dispense a controlled substance pursuant to a prescription of an out-of-state practitioner of medicine, osteopathy, podiatry, dentistry or veterinary medicine authorized to issue such prescription if the prescription complies with the requirements of this chapter and Chapter 34 (§ 54.1-3400 et seq.) of this title, known as the "Drug Control Act."
DE. A licensed nurse practitioner
who is authorized to prescribe controlled substances pursuant to § 54.1-2957.01
may issue prescriptions or provide manufacturers' professional samples for
controlled substances and devices as set forth in Chapter 34 of this title in
good faith to his patient for a medicinal or therapeutic purpose within the
scope of his professional practice.
EF. A licensed physician
assistant who is authorized to prescribe controlled substances pursuant to §
54.1-2952.1 may issue prescriptions or provide manufacturers' professional
samples for controlled substances and devices as set forth in Chapter 34 of
this title in good faith to his patient for a medicinal or therapeutic purpose
within the scope of his professional practice.
FG. A TPA-certified optometrist
who is authorized to prescribe controlled substances pursuant to Article 5 (§
54.1-3222 et seq.) of Chapter 32 of this title may issue prescriptions in good
faith or provide manufacturers' professional samples to his patients for
medicinal or therapeutic purposes within the scope of his professional practice
for the drugs specified on the TPA-Formulary, established pursuant to §
54.1-3223, which shall be limited to (i) oral analgesics included in Schedules
III through VI, as defined in §§ 54.1-3450 and 54.1-3455 of the Drug Control
Act (§ 54.1-3400 et seq.), which are appropriate to relieve ocular pain, (ii)
other oral Schedule VI controlled substances, as defined in § 54.1-3455 of the
Drug Control Act, appropriate to treat diseases and abnormal conditions of the
human eye and its adnexa, (iii) topically applied Schedule VI drugs, as defined
in § 54.1-3455 of the Drug Control Act, and (iv) intramuscular administration
of epinephrine for treatment of emergency cases of anaphylactic shock.
GH. The requirement for a bona
fide practitioner-patient relationship shall be deemed to be satisfied by a
member or committee of a hospital's medical staff when approving a standing
order or protocol for the administration of influenza vaccinations and
pneumococcal vaccinations in a hospital in compliance with § 32.1-126.4.