Prescription order extensions for when a refill authorization cannot be obtained

Under this bill, in the event a pharmacist receives a request for a prescription to be refilled and the prescription cannot otherwise be refilled as provided under law, the pharmacist may extend the existing prescription order and dispense (provide) the drug to the patient if 1) the pharmacist has been unsuccessful in attempting to procure a new prescription order or refill authorization from the prescribing practitioner after attempting to contact the prescribing practitioner or his or her office; 2) the patient is on a consistent drug therapy program and has previously refilled the prescription at that pharmacy or through another pharmacy in the same pharmacy chain; 3) the drug is essential to the life of the patient, or the interruption of the drug therapy could result in undesirable consequences for the patient's health;

and 4) the pharmacist has not received and is not otherwise aware of instructions from the prescribing practitioner prohibiting further dispensing pursuant to or extension of the prescription order.

Under the bill, however, the following limitations apply: 1) a prescribing practitioner may indicate in a prescription order “no extensions,” in which case the pharmacist would be prohibited from extending the prescription order as provided in the bill; 2) the authority may not be used by a pharmacist to dispense more than a seven-day supply of the prescribed drug or the minimum amount necessary to dispense at least a seven-day supply of the drug, whichever is less; 3) a pharmacist may not extend a prescription order for a controlled substance; 4) a pharmacist may not extend a prescription order for a particular patient if a prescription order was previously extended for that patient in the previous one-year period for that drug;

and 5) the pharmacist, after extending a prescription order and dispensing the drug to the patient, must notify the prescribing practitioner or his or her office.