Originally published in the January/February 2018 issue of the OVMA Observer.

By Jack Advent, CAE
OVMA Executive Director

The Ohio Board of Pharmacy recently updated its rule on requirements for a valid written prescription (Ohio Administrative Code 4729-5-30):

• The full name, professional title, address (this cannot be a post office box) and phone number of the prescriber.
• Indicate the name and address of the patient.
• Be dated on the day issued.
• Drug name and strength.
• Indicate the quantity to be dispensed. OAC 4729-5-13 now requires the quantity to be written both numerically and alphabetically (e.g., 10/ten tablets) for all controlled substance prescriptions.
• Indicate direction for the drug’s use.
• Written prescriptions must be manually signed on the day issued by the prescriber in the same manner “as a prescriber would sign a check.”
• For controlled substance prescriptions only, the DEA number of the prescriber.
• The number of refills, if any. No refills may be authorized for a schedule II controlled substance, and schedule III and IV controlled substances may be refilled no more than five times in a six-month period.
• If you want to ensure no generic or other medication substitution by the pharmacist, write “DAW” on the prescription for “dispense as written” or “do not substitute.” This designation may not be preprinted or stamped on prescriptions (ORC 4729.38).

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) requires employers who have radiology equipment to post an informational notice to employees regarding obligations of the employer on safety measures (OAC 3701:1-38-10).

In December, an Ohio veterinarian being investigated by state and federal drug enforcement officials took his own life. The Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board reports an increase in cases involving possible drug diversion by veterinarians and veterinary technicians. Last year, the substance abuse counseling program used by OVMA and other health professions reported a 50 percent increase in veterinarians and veterinary technicians in a monitoring program.

Like other segments of our society, veterinary medicine is also impacted both externally and internally by the opiate dependency problem in our state and country. The OVMA Opioid Diversion Awareness Task Force (ODAT) has compiled a guide with information on how to detect internal and external diversion, ways to prevent them, and how to handle the situation if it ever occurs. (See additional resources, right.)

It is important to all that we are proactive as a profession and recognize that, while we may wish to be unaffected by the opioid problem, we are not immune to its all-too-often tragic effects.