FEATURE
Issuing
Prescriptions Responding to Prescription
Pad Theft/Forgery
In issuing prescriptions for narcotics and controlled
substances, physicians may wish to consider taking the
following precautions: If you become aware
that a prescription
pad has been stolen
or that forged prescriptions are in circulation, you are
advised to do the following:
If using a paper prescription pad:
o Use carbon copies or numbered prescription pads;
o I ndicate the quantity and dosage using both words
and numbers;
o Draw lines through unused portions of the prescrip-
tion; and
o Keep blank prescription pads secure.
using desk-top prescription printing:
If
o Use EMR-enabled security features such as water-
marks.
o Write a clear signature and do not use a scribbled
initial.
Promote
the patient’s use of a single dispensing phar-
macy of their choice. Include the name of the pharmacy
on the prescription.
ax (or electronically transmit when available) prescrip-
F
tions directly to the pharmacy.
using fax or electronic transmission of the prescrip-
If
tion, confirm the destination and retain copies.
Storing Narcotics and
Controlled Substances
Narcotics and controlled substances require greater stor-
age security than other drugs. It is recommended that
these drugs be stored in the physician’s office, in a locked
cabinet, and out of sight. Physicians are advised to avoid
storing drugs in any other location, including their homes.
Physicians are advised to never leave medical bags unat-
tended or in plain view. If drugs are known to be miss-
ing, this must be reported to Health Canada’s Office of
Controlled Substances within 10 days of the discovery at
613-952-2177.
Contact the College’s Physician Advisory Service at
1-800-268-7096 extension 606 to notify the College
of the incident. If the College receives any subsequent
calls from pharmacists regarding the issue, we will
encourage them to contact you directly to verify any
prescriptions. The College will also give you the con-
tact information for the Ontario Public Drug Program
(OPDP) to report the theft and/or forgery. The OPDP
has the ability to notify pharmacies in the surrounding
area, alerting them to the situation.
onsult with the CMPA and the Information and Privacy
C
Commissioner’s Office as they are best able to advise
you as to what information may be provided to the police
if the theft/forgery is committed by a patient. If the theft/
forgery was not committed by a patient, there will likely
be no confidentiality concerns to consider.
ontact OPP Det.-Const. Chris Auger of the Prescrip-
C
tion Drug Diversion Program at (519) 494-1043 or
[email protected].
Contact local pharmacies in the area to inform them of
the circumstances.
nsure that you have publicly available contact in-
E
formation so that pharmacists or law enforcement
authorities can contact you if necessary.
to ascertain how the theft occurred and take im-
Try
mediate actions to prevent this from happening in the
future. Prescription pads should always be locked away
for safe keeping and physicians must be diligent in en-
suring that they are not inadvertently left in places that
may be susceptible to theft and forgery. MD
ISSUE 1, 2019 DIALOGUE
11