Tennessee § 63-6-236 - Drug prescriptions.

§ 63-6-236. Drug prescriptions.

Any handwritten prescription order for a drug prepared by a physician or surgeon who is authorized by law to prescribe a drug must be legible so that it is comprehensible by the pharmacist who fills the prescription. The handwritten prescription order must contain the name of the prescribing physician or surgeon, the name and strength of the drug prescribed, the quantity of the drug prescribed, handwritten in letters or in numerals, instructions for the proper use of the drug and the month and day that the prescription order was issued, recorded in letters or in numerals or a combination thereof. The prescribing physician or surgeon must sign the handwritten prescription order on the day it is issued, unless the prescription order is: Issued as a standing order in a hospital, a nursing home or an assisted care living facility as defined in § 68-11-201; or Prescribed by a physician or surgeon in the department of health or local health departments or dispensed by the department of health or a local health department as stipulated in § 63-10-205. Any typed or computer-generated prescription order for a drug issued by a physician or surgeon who is authorized by law to prescribe a drug must be legible so that it is comprehensible by the pharmacist who fills the typed or computer-generated prescription order. The prescription order must contain the name of the prescribing physician or surgeon, the name and strength of the drug prescribed, the quantity of the drug prescribed, recorded in letters or in numerals, instructions for the proper use of the drug and the month and day that the typed or computer-generated prescription order was issued, recorded in letters or in numerals or a combination thereof. The prescribing physician or surgeon must sign the typed or computer-generated prescription order on the day it is issued, unless the prescription order is: Issued as a standing order in a hospital, nursing home or an assisted care living facility as defined in § 68-11-201; or Prescribed by a physician or surgeon in the department of health or local health departments or dispensed by the department of health or a local health department as stipulated in § 63-10-205. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent a physician or surgeon from issuing a verbal prescription order. All handwritten, typed or computer-generated prescription orders must be issued on either tamper-resistant prescription paper or printed utilizing a technology that results in a tamper-resistant prescription that meets the current centers for medicare and medicaid service guidance to state medicaid directors regarding § 7002(b) of the United States Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act of 2007, P.L. 110-28, and meets or exceeds specific TennCare requirements for tamper-resistant prescriptions. Subdivision (d)(1) shall not apply to prescriptions written for inpatients of a hospital, outpatients of a hospital where the doctor or other person authorized to write prescriptions, writes the order into the hospital medical record and then the order is given directly to the hospital pharmacy and the patient never has the opportunity to handle the written order, a nursing home or an assisted care living facility as defined in § 68-11-201 or inpatients or residents of a mental health hospital or residential facility licensed under title 33 or individuals incarcerated in a local, state or federal correctional facility. Acts 2004, ch. 678, § 5; 2005, ch. 12, § 3; 2008, ch. 1035, §§ 4, 9; 2010, ch. 795, § 12; 2013, ch. 74, § 4. Compiler's Notes. Acts 2004, ch. 678, § 1 provided that the title of the act is and may be cited as the “Medication Error Reduction Act of 2004.” Acts 2004, ch. 678, § 2 provided that it is the intent of the general assembly to create a uniform standard that health care providers must follow in issuing written or electronic prescription orders. This standard is intended to reduce medication related errors, which represent a major source of medical errors in the health care system. The general assembly finds that reducing medical errors will result in greater safety for patients as well as cost savings for the health care system in this state. By adopting these standards, the general assembly intends to promote medical safety for all patients who are issued drug prescriptions in this state. Acts 2004, ch. 678, § 11 provided that nothing in the act shall be construed as limiting any practitioner’s or pharmacist’s ability to order the use of or distribute non-prescription drugs or devices otherwise in accordance with applicable law. Acts 2004, ch. 678, § 12 provided that nothing in the act shall be construed as limiting any professional nurse’s ability to issue drugs in accordance with the provisions of § 63-7-124 . Acts 2004, ch. 678, § 13 provided that the department of health, division of health related boards and the board of pharmacy, are authorized to promulgate uniform rules to effect the purposes of this act in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5. The power and duty to enforce those rules shall be vested in the various boards that regulate health care providers affected by the act, in accordance with § 63-1-122 [repealed]. Acts 2004, ch. 678, § 14 provided that the act shall not affect rights and duties that matured, penalties that were incurred, or proceedings that were begun before July 1, 2004. Acts 2010, ch. 795, § 8 provided that nothing in the act shall be construed as limiting any practitioner's or pharmacist's ability to order the use of or distribute non-prescription drugs or devices otherwise in accordance with applicable law. Acts 2010, ch. 795, § 10 provided that nothing in the act shall be construed as limiting any professional nurse's ability to issue drugs in accordance with the provisions of § 63-7-124 . Acts 2010, ch. 795, § 11 provided that the department of health, division of health related boards and the board of pharmacy, are authorized to promulgate uniform rules to effect the purposes of the act in accordance with title 4, chapter 5. The power and duty to enforce those rules shall be vested in the various boards that regulate healthcare providers affected by the act, in accordance with § 63-1-122 [repealed]. Acts 2010, ch. 795, § 19 provided that the act shall not affect rights and duties that matured, penalties that were incurred, or proceedings that were begun before January 1, 2011.