NCMB will soon begin sending letters to licensed physicians and PAs who prescribe Schedule II and Schedule III controlled substances but appear not to have registered with the state’s prescription drug monitoring program as required by state law.
The NC Department of Health and Human Services unit that runs the PDMP, known as the NC Controlled Substances Reporting System (NC CSRS), recently provided NCMB with a report that suggests hundreds of NCMB licensees are not in compliance with the law, NCGS § 90-113.74A. The law states that all prescribers with authorization to prescribe controlled substances must
register with NC CSRS within 30 days of the issuance or renewal of that authorization.
NCMB will begin by sending letters to urge licensees prescribing the largest number of Schedule II and Schedule III drugs to immediately register for NC CSRS and work through the list until all unregistered prescribers have been advised of their obligation to sign up.
Mandatory use requirement
While all DEA registrants are required to REGISTER for NC CSRS, only those who actively prescribe Schedule II and Schedule III drugs are required to actually USE the system.
The
NC STOP Act of 2017 requires that prescribers check a patient’s 12-month prescription history with NC CSRS before writing a new prescription for a Schedule II or Schedule III opioid. Rechecks of the patient’s prescription history must be conducted every three months for as long as treatment with the opioid continues.
