legislative corner
ELECTRONIC PRESCRIBING MANDATE ONLY IF YOU MAINTAIN AN EHR Effective July 1, 2021, all health care practitioners (including dentists) who are prescribing practitioners and maintain electronic health records (EHR), are required to generate and transmit all prescriptions electronically. An EHR is a digital version of a patient’s dental record. Typically, an EHR consists of computer hardware and software that is purchased or leased. Dentists who do not maintain EHRs are not required to prescribe prescriptions electronically and are not required to do anything further. Additionally, pharmacies are not authorized to deny your patients their prescriptions if presented on prescription paper (legitimately). The Board of Pharmacy continues to communicate this message to all pharmacists and pharmacies. JOE ANNE HART FDA CHIEF LEGISLATIVE OFFICER
For additional information on legislative issues, you can reach Joe Anne Hart at jahart@floridadental.org or 850.350.7205.
If you are a dentist who maintains an EHR and may not be able to comply with the law, you can request a waiver from complying with the electronic prescribing law. The waiver, if granted, will only be valid for no more than one year. The waiver form is available on the Board of Dentistry’s website at floridasdentistry.gov under “Resources” and then “Forms & Requests.” The following are basis for a waiver request: n Demonstrated economic hardship. You must provide a signed statement of no more than one page that describes the facts of the economic hardship that prevents you from electronically prescribing medicinal drugs. n Technological limitations that are not reasonably within your control. You must provide a signed statement of no more than one page that sets for the technological limitations that are not within your control that prevent you from electronically prescribing medicinal drugs. n Other demonstrated exceptional circumstance. State the circumstance that prevents you from electronically prescribing. You must provide a signed statement of no more than one page that describes the exceptional circumstance that prevents you from electronically prescribing medicinal drugs.
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TODAY’S FDA SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
FLORIDADENTAL.ORG
