TamperResistantRx.com

From CMS:

On Saturday, September 29, 2007, President Bush signed the “Extenders Law,” delaying the implementation date for all paper Medicaid prescriptions to be written on tamper-resistant paper. Under the new law, as of April 1, 2008, all written Medicaid prescriptions must be on tamper-resistant prescription pads.

CMS’ guidance on the tamper-resistant law, set forth in an August 17, 2007 State Medicaid Director letter, contains two phases. For the first, a prescription must contain at least one of the three tamper-resistant characteristics in order to be considered “tamper resistant.” For the second, prescriptions must contain all three characteristics.

The two-phased approach is still in effect. At least one of the three tamper-resistant characteristics is required on April 1, 2008. All three characteristics are required on October 1, 2008.

In response to strong concerns from physicians, pharmacists, and others, Congress delayed the regulation mandating the use of tamper-proof prescriptions for Medicaid patients for six months. If President Bush signs the legislation as expected, the new deadline is March 1, 2008.

Physicians and pharmacists contended that they weren’t given enough time to obtain the new prescription pads, and manufacturers said they were getting so many orders that they could not keep up with the demand.

It seems that providers are realizing that they need to be prepared by next week.  But it seems that they may have problems complying.

Because of the demand, several of the largest manufacturers of tamper-resistant security paper for prescriptions are out of stock.

These manufacturers supply local, regional and national printers with this paper and the back order will cause delays for many to implement.

When I called to order some blank stock for some of my customers, Paris Business Forms, for example, told me that they were on a 2-3 week backorder. They have dedicated extra shifts to the problem, but they can’t satisfy the demand.

From the National Association of State Medicaid Directors

Medicaid Directors Seek More Time