Oklahoma's New Electronic Prescribing Law Takes Aim at Controlled Substances

A new state law is changing the way patients will have to get certain prescriptions at the pharmacy.

The law focuses specifically on controlled substances, like pain and anxiety medication. Before patients could use a paper prescription, but now prescriptions must be sent electronically.

The change is supposed help patients get prescriptions faster, while helping pharmacies store prescriptions more easily.

The law change is also supposed to help avoid possible medication mix-ups, reducing the possibility of a serious allergic reaction.              

One of the biggest impacts of the new law is that it should slow down or all-out stop the possibility of a forged prescription.

“It cuts out a lot of forgeries we have been seeing and us having to take the time to verify if it was a legitimate prescription or a forgery, which interrupted patient care, it took a lot of doctor time, it took a lot of our time, said OU Children’s Pharmacy Manager Beth Walton. “If it was legitimate, it took a lot of the legitimate patient’s time, too.”

While some smaller pharmacies may not have the ability to do electronic prescriptions right now, most of the large retailers are already complying with the new law.