Title of Regulation: 18VAC76-20. Regulations Governing the Prescription Monitoring Program (amending 18VAC76-20-40).

Statutory Authority: § 54.1-2520 of the Code of Virginia.

Effective Date: October 4, 2017.

Agency Contact: Ralph Orr, Program Manager, Department of Health Professions, 9960 Mayland Drive, Suite 300, Richmond, VA 23233-1463, telephone (804) 367-4523, FAX (804) 527-4470, or email ralph.orr@dhp.virginia.gov.

Summary:

The amendment conforms the regulation to § 54.1-2521 C of the Code of Virginia as it became effective on January 1, 2017. The amendment requires that persons subject to report to the Prescription Monitoring Program do so within 24 hours or the dispenser's next business day, whichever comes first.

18VAC76-20-40. Standards for the manner and format of reports and a schedule for reporting.

A. Data shall be transmitted to the department or its agent within seven days 24 hours of dispensing or the dispenser's next business day, whichever comes later, as provided in the Electronic Reporting Standard for Prescription Monitoring Programs, Version 4.2 (September 2011) of the American Society of Automation in Pharmacy (ASAP), which are hereby incorporated by reference into this chapter.

B. Data shall be transmitted in a file layout provided by the department and shall be transmitted by a media acceptable to the vendor contracted by the director for the program. Such transmission shall begin on a date specified by the director, no less than 90 days from notification by the director to dispensers required to report.

C. Under extraordinary circumstances, an alternative means of reporting may be approved by the director.

D. Data not accepted by the vendor due to a substantial number of errors or omissions shall be corrected and resubmitted to the vendor within five business days of receiving notification that the submitted data had an unacceptable number of errors or problems.

E. Required data elements shall include those listed in subsection B of § 54.1-2521 of the Code of Virginia and the following:

1. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration number of the dispenser;

2. The National Provider Identifier of the prescriber;

3. The total number of refills ordered;

4. Whether the prescription is a new prescription or a refill;

5. Whether the prescription is a partial fill;

6. The gender code;

7. The species code;

8. The Electronic Prescription Reference Number, and the Electronic Prescription Order Number if it is an electronic prescription; and

9. The date the prescription was written by the prescriber.