Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-38 – Prescriptions

(a) No controlled substance in schedule II may be dispensed without a written prescription of a practitioner, except:

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Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-38

Abuse: means the misuse of a substance or the use of a substance to an extent deemed deleterious or detrimental to the user, to others, or to society. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1
Address: means , with respect to prescriptions, the physical location where an individual resides such as:
(1) Street address, city, and state;
(2) Tax map key number; or
(3) The description of a physical location. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1
Administrator: means the administrator of the narcotics enforcement division of the department of law enforcement. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1
Agent: means an authorized person who acts on behalf of or at the direction of a manufacturer, distributor, or dispenser. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1
Central fill pharmacy: means a pharmacy located in the State that is registered pursuant to § 329-32 to prepare controlled substance orders for dispensing to the ultimate user pursuant to a valid prescription transmitted to it by a registered pharmacy. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1
Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
Controlled substance: means a drug, substance, or immediate precursor in schedules I through V of part II. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1
delivery: means the actual, constructive, or attempted transfer or sale from one person to another of a controlled substance or drug paraphernalia, whether or not there is an agency relationship. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1
Department: means the department of law enforcement. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1
Dispense: means to deliver a controlled substance to an ultimate user or research subject by or pursuant to the lawful order of a practitioner, including the administering of a practitioner's controlled substances, and packaging, labeling, or compounding necessary to prepare the substance for that delivery. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1
Drug: means :
(1) Substances recognized as drugs in the official United States Pharmacopoeia, official Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States, or official National Formulary, or any supplement to any of them;
(2) Substances intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in man or animals;
(3) Substances (other than food) intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of man or animals; and
(4) Substances intended for use as a component of any article specified in clause (1), (2), or (3) of this subsection. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1
Drug Enforcement Administration registration number: means the practitioner's Drug Enforcement Administration controlled substance registration number. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1
Electronic prescription: means a prescription that is generated on an electronic prescription application and transmitted as an electronic data file that complies with all applicable requirements of Title Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 1311 and any additional rules adopted by the department
"Electronic prescription application" means electronic prescription software either as a stand-alone application or as a module in an electronic health record application. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1
Electronic signature: means a method of signing an electronic message that identifies a particular person as the source of the message and indicates the person's approval of the information contained in the message. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1
Identification number: means , with respect to a patient:
(1) The patient's unique valid driver's license number or state identification card number, followed by the abbreviation of the state issuing the driver's license or state identification card, or the patient's military identification number;
(2) If the patient is a foreign patient, the patient's passport number;
(3) If the patient does not have a valid driver's license, state identification card, or military identification, the patient's social security number;
(4) If the patient is less than eighteen years of age and has none of the identification referred to in paragraph (1), (2), or (3), the unique number on the valid driver's license, state identification card, military identification, or passport of the patient's parent or guardian; or
(5) If the controlled substance is obtained for an animal, the unique number of the animal's owner as described in paragraph (1), (2), or (3). See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1
Opiate: means any substance having an addiction-forming or addiction-sustaining liability similar to morphine or being capable of conversion into a drug having addiction-forming or addiction-sustaining liability. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1
Person: means individual, corporation, government, or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership or association, or any other legal entity. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1
Pharmacist: means a person who is licensed or holds a permit under chapter 461 to practice pharmacy, including a pharmacy intern who is under the immediate and direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1
Physician assistant: means a person licensed under section 453-5. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1
Practitioner: means :
(1) A physician, dentist, veterinarian, scientific investigator, or other person licensed and registered under § 329-32 to distribute, dispense, or conduct research with respect to a controlled substance in the course of professional practice or research in this State;
(2) An advanced practice registered nurse with prescriptive authority licensed and registered under § 329-32 to prescribe and administer controlled substances in the course of professional practice in this State; and
(3) A pharmacy, hospital, or other institution licensed, registered, or otherwise permitted to distribute, dispense, conduct research with respect to or to administer a controlled substance in the course of professional practice or research in this State. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1
Prescribe: means to direct, designate, or order the use of a formula for the preparation of a medicine for a disease or illness and the manner of using them. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1
Prescriber: means one who is authorized to issue a prescription. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1
Prescription: means an order for medication, which is dispensed to or for an ultimate user. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1
State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any state, district, commonwealth, territory, insular possession thereof, and any area subject to the legal authority of the United States of America. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1
Supervising physician: means a physician licensed to practice medicine in the State and registered under § 329-33, who supervises a physician assistant and retains full professional and legal responsibility for the performance of the supervised physician assistant and the care and treatment of the patient. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1
System: means an electronic prescription accountability system as described in part VIII. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1
Ultimate user: means a person who lawfully possesses a controlled substance for the person's own use or for the use of a member of the person's household or for administering to an animal owned by the person or by a member of the person's household. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-1

(1) In the case of an emergency situation, a pharmacist may dispense a controlled substance listed in schedule II upon receiving oral authorization from a prescribing practitioner; provided that:

(A) The quantity prescribed and dispensed is limited to the amount adequate to treat the patient during the emergency period (dispensing beyond the emergency period shall be pursuant to a written prescription signed by the prescribing practitioner);

(B) If the prescribing practitioner is not known to the pharmacist, the pharmacist shall make a reasonable effort to determine that the oral authorization came from a registered practitioner, which may include a callback to the prescribing practitioner using the phone number in the telephone directory or other good faith efforts to identify the prescriber; and

(C) Within seven days after authorizing an emergency oral prescription, the prescribing practitioner shall cause a written prescription for the emergency quantity prescribed to be delivered to the dispensing pharmacist. In addition to conforming to the requirements of this subsection, the prescription shall have written on its face “Authorization for Emergency Dispensing”. The written prescription may be delivered to the pharmacist in person or by mail, and if by mail, the prescription shall be postmarked within the seven-day period. Upon receipt, the dispensing pharmacist shall attach this prescription to the oral emergency prescription, which had earlier been reduced to writing. The pharmacist shall notify the administrator if the prescribing practitioner fails to deliver a written prescription to the pharmacy within the allotted time. Failure of the pharmacist to do so shall void the authority conferred by this paragraph to dispense without a written prescription of a prescribing individual practitioner. Any practitioner who fails to deliver a written prescription within the seven-day period shall be in violation of section 329-41(a)(1);

(2) No schedule II narcotic controlled substance may be prescribed or dispensed for more than a thirty-day supply, except where such substances come in a single unit dose package that exceeds the thirty-day limit or where a terminally ill patient is certified by a physician to exceed the thirty-day limit;

(3) When dispensed directly by a practitioner, other than a pharmacist, to the ultimate user. The practitioner in dispensing a controlled substance in schedule II shall affix to the package a label showing:

(A) The date of dispensing;

(B) The name, strength, and quantity of the drug dispensed;

(C) The dispensing practitioner’s name and address;

(D) The name of the patient;

(E) The “use by” date for the drug, which shall be:

(i) The expiration date on the manufacturer’s or principal labeler’s container; or

(ii) One year from the date the drug is dispensed, whichever is earlier; and

(F) Directions for use, and cautionary statements, if any, contained in the prescription or as required by law.

A complete and accurate record of all schedule II controlled substances ordered, administered, prescribed, and dispensed shall be maintained for five years. Prescriptions and records of dispensing shall otherwise be retained in conformance with the requirements of § 329-36. No prescription for a controlled substance in schedule II may be refilled; or

(4) In the case of an electronic prescription, a pharmacist may dispense a controlled substance listed in schedule II upon receiving an electronic prescription.

(b) A schedule II controlled substance prescription shall:

(1) Be filled within seven days following the date the prescription was issued to the patient; and

(2) Be supplied to a patient only if the prescription has been filled and held by the pharmacy for not more than seven days; provided that a prescription issued to a qualified patient pursuant to chapter 327L shall be supplied to the patient if the prescription has been filled and held by the pharmacy for not more than thirty days.

(c) Initial concurrent prescriptions for opioids and benzodiazepines shall not be for longer than seven consecutive days unless the prescription is issued for a qualified patient pursuant to chapter 327L or a supply of longer than seven days is determined to be medically necessary for the treatment of:

(1) Pain experienced while the patient is in post-operative care;

(2) Chronic pain and pain management;

(3) Substance abuse or opioid or opiate dependence;

(4) Cancer;

(5) Pain experienced while the patient is in palliative care; or

(6) Pain experienced while the patient is in hospice care;

provided that if a prescribing practitioner issues a concurrent prescription for more than a seven-day supply of an opioid and benzodiazepine, the practitioner shall document in the patient’s medical record the condition for which the practitioner issued the prescription and that an alternative to the opioid and benzodiazepine was not appropriate treatment for the condition.

(d) A pharmacy and an authorized central fill pharmacy may share information for initial and refill prescriptions of schedule III, IV, or V controlled substances. The following requirements shall apply:

(1) A pharmacy may electronically transmit, including by facsimile, prescriptions for controlled substances listed in schedule III, IV, or V to a central fill pharmacy. The pharmacy transmitting the prescription information shall:

(A) Ensure that all information required to be on a prescription pursuant to subsection (g) is transmitted to the central fill pharmacy either on the face of the prescription or electronically; and

(B) Keep a record of receipt of the filled prescription, including the date of receipt, the method of delivery (private, common, or contract carrier) and the identity of the pharmacy employee accepting delivery; and

(2) The central fill pharmacy receiving the transmitted prescription shall:

(A) Keep for five years a copy of a prescription received by facsimile or an electronic record of all the information transmitted by the pharmacy, including the name, address, and Drug Enforcement Administration registration number of the pharmacy transmitting the prescription;

(B) Keep a record of the date of receipt of the transmitted prescription, the name of the licensed pharmacists filling the prescription, and the dates the prescription was filled or is refilled; and

(C) Keep a record of the date the filled prescription was shipped to the pharmacy.

(e) No controlled substance in schedule III, IV, or V may be dispensed without a written, facsimile of a written, oral prescription of a practitioner, or receipt of an electronic prescription, except when a controlled substance is dispensed directly by a practitioner, other than a pharmacist, to an ultimate user. The practitioner, in dispensing a controlled substance in schedule III, IV, or V, shall affix to the package a label showing:

(1) The date of dispensing;

(2) The name, strength, and quantity issued of the drug;

(3) The dispensing practitioner’s name and business address;

(4) The name of the patient;

(5) The “use by” date for the drug, which shall be:

(A) The expiration date on the manufacturer’s or principal labeler’s container; or

(B) One year from the date the drug is dispensed, whichever is earlier;

(6) Directions for use; and

(7) Cautionary statements, if any, contained in the prescription or as required by law.

A complete and accurate record of all schedule III, IV, and V controlled substances administered, prescribed, and dispensed shall be maintained for five years. Prescriptions and records of dispensing shall be retained in conformance with the requirements of section 329-36 unless otherwise provided by law. Prescriptions may not be filled or refilled more than three months after the date of the prescription or be refilled more than two times after the date of the prescription, unless the prescription is renewed by the practitioner.

(f) The effectiveness of a prescription for the purposes of this section shall be determined as follows:

(1) A prescription for a controlled substance shall be issued for a legitimate medical purpose by an individual practitioner acting in the usual course of the practitioner’s professional practice. The responsibility for the proper prescribing and dispensing of controlled substances shall be upon the prescribing practitioner, but a corresponding responsibility shall rest with the pharmacist who fills the prescription. An order purporting to be a prescription issued not in the usual course of professional treatment or for legitimate and authorized research shall not be deemed a prescription within the meaning and intent of this section, and the person who knowingly fills such a purported prescription, as well as the person who issues the prescription, shall be subject to the penalties provided for violations of this chapter;

(2) A prescription may not be issued to allow an individual practitioner to obtain controlled substances for supplying the individual practitioner for the purpose of general dispensing to patients;

(3) A prescription may not be issued for the dispensing of narcotic drugs listed in any schedule for the purpose of “medically managed withdrawal”, also known as “detoxification treatment”, or “maintenance treatment” except as follows:

(A) The administering or dispensing directly (but not prescribing) of narcotic drugs listed in any schedule to a narcotic drug-dependent person for “medically managed withdrawal”, also known as “detoxification treatment”, or “maintenance treatment” shall be deemed to be “in the course of a practitioner’s professional practice or research” so long as the practitioner is registered separately with the department and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration as required by section 329-32(e) and complies with title 21 C.F.R. § 823(g) and any other federal or state regulatory standards relating to treatment qualification, security, records, and unsupervised use of drugs; and

(B) Nothing in this section shall prohibit a physician or authorized hospital staff from administering or dispensing, but not prescribing, narcotic drugs in a hospital to maintain or detoxify a person as an incidental adjunct to medical or surgical treatment of conditions other than addiction;

(4) An individual practitioner shall not prescribe or dispense a substance included in schedule II, III, IV, or V for that individual practitioner’s personal use, except in a medical emergency; and

(5) A pharmacist shall not dispense a substance included in schedule II, III, IV, or V for the pharmacist’s personal use.

(g) Prescriptions for controlled substances shall be issued only as follows:

(1) All prescriptions for controlled substances shall originate from within the State and be dated as of, and signed on, the day when the prescriptions were issued and shall contain:

(A) The first and last name and address of the patient; and

(B) The drug name, strength, dosage form, quantity prescribed, and directions for use. Where a prescription is for gamma hydroxybutyric acid, methadone, or buprenorphine, the practitioner shall record as part of the directions for use, the medical need of the patient for the prescription.

Except for electronic prescriptions, controlled substance prescriptions shall be no larger than eight and one-half inches by eleven inches and no smaller than three inches by four inches. A practitioner may sign a prescription in the same manner as the practitioner would sign a check or legal document (e.g., J.H. Smith or John H. Smith) and shall use both words and figures (e.g., alphabetically and numerically as indications of quantity, such as five (5)), to indicate the amount of controlled substance to be dispensed. Where an oral order or electronic prescription is not permitted, prescriptions shall be written with ink or indelible pencil or typed, shall be manually signed by the practitioner, and shall include the name, address, telephone number, and registration number of the practitioner. The prescriptions may be prepared by a secretary or agent for the signature of the practitioner, but the prescribing practitioner shall be responsible in case the prescription does not conform in all essential respects to this chapter and any rules adopted pursuant to this chapter. In receiving an oral prescription from a practitioner, a pharmacist shall promptly reduce the oral prescription to writing, which shall include the following information: the drug name, strength, dosage form, quantity prescribed in figures only, and directions for use; the date the oral prescription was received; the full name, Drug Enforcement Administration registration number, and oral code number of the practitioner; and the name and address of the person for whom the controlled substance was prescribed or the name of the owner of the animal for which the controlled substance was prescribed.

A corresponding liability shall rest upon a pharmacist who fills a prescription not prepared in the form prescribed by this section. A pharmacist may add a patient’s missing address or change a patient’s address on all controlled substance prescriptions after verifying the patient’s identification and noting the identification number on the back of the prescription document on file. The pharmacist shall not make changes to the patient’s name, the controlled substance being prescribed, the quantity of the prescription, the practitioner’s Drug Enforcement Administration number, the practitioner’s name, the practitioner’s electronic signature, or the practitioner’s signature;

(2) An intern, resident, or foreign-trained physician, or a physician on the staff of a Department of Veterans Affairs facility or other facility serving veterans, exempted from registration under this chapter, shall include on all prescriptions issued by the physician:

(A) The registration number of the hospital or other institution; and

(B) The special internal code number assigned to the physician by the hospital or other institution in lieu of the registration number of the practitioner required by this section.

The hospital or other institution shall forward a copy of this special internal code number list to the department as often as necessary to update the department with any additions or deletions. Failure to comply with this paragraph shall result in the suspension of that facility’s privilege to fill controlled substance prescriptions at pharmacies outside of the hospital or other institution. Each written prescription shall have the name of the physician stamped, typed, or hand-printed on it, as well as the signature of the physician;

(3) An official exempted from registration shall include on all prescriptions issued by the official:

(A) The official’s branch of service or agency (e.g., “U.S. Army” or “Public Health Service”); and

(B) The official’s service identification number, in lieu of the registration number of the practitioner required by this section. The service identification number for a Public Health Service employee shall be the employee’s social security or other government issued identification number.

Each prescription shall have the name of the officer stamped, typed, or handprinted on it, as well as the signature of the officer; and

(4) A physician assistant registered to prescribe controlled substances under the authorization of a supervising physician shall include on all controlled substance prescriptions issued:

(A) The Drug Enforcement Administration registration number of the supervising physician; and

(B) The Drug Enforcement Administration registration number of the physician assistant.

Each written controlled substance prescription issued shall include the printed, stamped, typed, or hand-printed name, address, and phone number of both the supervising physician and physician assistant, and shall be signed by the physician assistant. The medical record of each written controlled substance prescription issued by a physician assistant shall be reviewed and initialed by the physician assistant’s supervising physician within seven working days.

(h) A prescription for controlled substances may only be filled by a pharmacist acting in the usual course of the pharmacist’s professional practice and either registered individually or employed in a registered pharmacy, central fill pharmacy, or registered institutional practitioner. A central fill pharmacy authorized to fill prescriptions on behalf of a pharmacy shall have a contractual relationship with the pharmacy that provides for this activity or shall share a common owner with the pharmacy. A central fill pharmacy shall not prepare prescriptions for any controlled substance listed in schedule II.

(i) Prescriptions for controlled substances shall be issued only as follows:

(1) All prescriptions for controlled substances shall originate from within the State and be dated as of, and signed on, the day when the prescriptions were issued and shall contain:

(A) The first and last name and address of the patient; and

Except for electronic prescriptions, controlled substance prescriptions shall be no larger than eight and one-half inches by eleven inches and no smaller than three inches by four inches. A practitioner may sign a prescription in the same manner as the practitioner would sign a check or legal document (e.g., J.H. Smith or John H. Smith) and shall use both words and figures (e.g., alphabetically and numerically as indications of quantity, such as five (5)), to indicate the amount of controlled substance to be dispensed. Where an electronic prescription is permitted, either words or figures (e.g., alphabetically or numerically as indications of quantity, such as five or 5), to indicate the amount of controlled substance to be dispensed shall be acceptable. Where an oral order or electronic prescription is not permitted, prescriptions shall be written with ink or indelible pencil or typed, shall be manually signed by the practitioner, and shall include the name, address, telephone number, and registration number of the practitioner. The prescriptions may be prepared by a secretary or agent for the signature of the practitioner, but the prescribing practitioner shall be responsible in case the prescription does not conform in all essential respects to this chapter and any rules adopted pursuant to this chapter. In receiving an oral prescription from a practitioner, a pharmacist shall promptly reduce the oral prescription to writing, which shall include the following information: the drug name, strength, dosage form, quantity prescribed in figures only, and directions for use; the date the oral prescription was received; the full name, Drug Enforcement Administration registration number, and oral code number of the practitioner; and the name and address of the person for whom the controlled substance was prescribed or the name of the owner of the animal for which the controlled substance was prescribed.