Changes in South Carolina’s PDMP Requirements

On May 19, 2017, South Carolina Governor Harry McMaster signed House Bill 3824 into law.  Healthcare practitioners are now required to review the state’s prescription drug tracking system prior to prescribing Schedule II controlled substances. 

New requirements

Healthcare practitioners who are authorized to prescribe controlled substances must review a patient’s controlled substance prescription history in SCRIPTS (South Carolina Reporting & Identification Prescription Tracking System) before issuing a prescription for a Schedule II controlled substance to a patient.  Physicians may delegate the SCRIPTS review to an authorized delegate (an individual who has access to SCRIPTS and who is directly supervised by an authorized practitioner).  If a delegate reviews the prescription history, he or she must consult with the practitioner and document this consult in the medical record before issuing the prescription. 

Exceptions

There are several exceptions to the requirement to check SCRIPTS.  Practitioners are not required to check SCRIPTS when:

• writing a prescription for a patient in hospice;
• writing a prescription that does not exceed a five day supply;
• writing a prescription for an established patient for the treatment of a chronic condition, but the physician must review the patient’s prescription drug history in SCRIPTS at least every 3 months;
• approving the administration of the drug (meaning that the drug will be administered in your office);
• writing a prescription for a patient who is in a skilled nursing facility, nursing home, community residential care facility or an assisted living facility and the patient’s medications are stored, giving and monitored by staff; or,
• you are temporarily unable to access the database due to exigent circumstances, but the exigent circumstances and potential adverse impact to that patient if the prescription is not issued timely must be documented in the medical record.

New penalty

The new law adds an additional penalty.  It provides that practitioners and authorized delegates who knowingly fail to review a patient prescription drug history or who knowingly fail to consult in violation of this law must be reported to their licensing board for disciplinary action.  Prescribers continue to enjoy civil and criminal immunity when acting in good faith for requesting and receiving information from SCRIPTS.

If you have any questions, please reach out to your designated MagMutual Patient Safety Consultant or call (800) 282-4882.