Code of Massachusetts Regulations
263 CMR - BOARD OF REGISTRATION OF PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS
Title 263 CMR 5.00 - Scope of Practice, Employment of Physician Assistants and Standards of Conduct
Section 5.06 - Prescription Practices of a Physician Assistant
Current through Register 1531, September 27, 2024
(1) Any physician assistant who holds a full license, issued by the Board pursuant to 263 CMR 3.02: Requirements for Full Licensure, may issue written or oral prescriptions or medication orders for a patient, provided that he or she does so in accordance with all applicable state and federal laws and regulations including, but not limited to, M.G.L. c. 112, § 9E; c. 94C, §§ 7, 9 and 20; 105 CMR 700.000: Implementation of M.G.L. c. 94C; and 263 CMR 5.06(1).
(2) A physician assistant who holds a temporary license, issued by the Board pursuant to 263 CMR 3.04: Temporary License, may prepare a written or oral prescription or medication order for a patient, provided that:
(3) Any prescription or medication order issued by a physician assistant for a Schedule II controlled substance, as defined in 105 CMR 700.002: Schedules of Controlled Substances, shall be reviewed by his or her supervising physician, or by a temporary supervising physician designated pursuant to 263 CMR 5.04(3)(g), within 96 hours after its issuance.
(4) All physician assistants shall issue prescriptions or medication orders in accordance with written guidelines governing the prescription of medication which are mutually developed and agreed upon by the physician assistant and his or her supervising physician.
(5) All prescriptions or medication orders issued by a physician assistant shall be issued in a manner which is consistent with the scope of practice of the physician assistant, the guidelines developed pursuant to 263 CMR 5.06(4), and accepted standards of good medical practice for licensed physicians with respect to prescription practices.
(6) At least four hours of the continuing medical education which a physician assistant is required to obtain pursuant to 263 CMR 3.05(3) as a condition for license renewal shall be in the field of pharmacology and/or pharmacokinetics.
(7) All prescriptions written by a physician assistant shall be written in accordance with 105 CMR 721.000: Standards for Prescription Format and Security in Massachusetts.
(8) A physician assistant may order only Schedule VI controlled substances from a drug wholesaler, manufacturer, distributor or laboratory, and only in accordance with the written guidelines developed with his or her supervising physician pursuant to 263 CMR 5.06(4). A physician assistant may sign only for sample Schedule VI controlled substances received by or sent to the practice setting by a pharmaceutical representative.
(9) The use of pre-signed prescription blanks or forms is prohibited.
(10) A physician assistant shall not prescribe controlled substances in Schedules II, III and IV for his or her own use. A physician assistant shall not prescribe Schedule II controlled substances for a member of his or her immediate family, including a parent, spouse or equivalent, child, sibling, parent-in-law, son/daughter-in-law, brother/sister-in-law, step-parent, step-child, step-sibling, or other relative permanently residing in the same residence as the physician assistant.
(11) The physician assistant and the supervising physician for that work setting shall be jointly responsible for all prescriptions or medication orders issued by the physician assistant in that work setting.