Providing care for MMT patients over the holidays Vol 38 No 4 - Winter 2013 | Jan. 10, 2014 Methadone

Principle 1.1.1

Patients must attend the pharmacy unless exceptional circumstances are provided for under Professional Practice Policy (PPP-71) – Delivery of Methadone Maintenance Treatment. The pharmacy hours of service must be consistent with the supervised dosing requirements of your patient.

Guideline: When a pharmacy accepts a patient who requires daily witness ingestion (ie; 7 days per week) the pharmacy hours of service must accommodate this dosing requirement. A pharmacist does not have the independent authority to adapt a prescription for methadone maintenance treatment from ‘daily witness’ to a ‘take-home’ dose.

Principle 3.1.3

Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians must review the prescription to ensure that it is completed by the prescriber as outlined in the Methadone Maintenance Controlled Prescription Form Guidelines (Appendix 3) and that the directions for use appropriately meet the specific needs of the patient and can be accommodated by the pharmacy.

Guideline: Each prescription must be reviewed in detail in consultation with, and consideration given to the specific needs of, the patient. The following list is a sample only:

• Evaluate the end date of the prescription to ensure that the authorization for dispensing does not end on a weekend when the patient will not be able to see a physician for a new prescription.
• Review the prescription directions to determine the dosing schedule (daily witnessed ingestion, divided dose, take-home doses), including the specific days of the week for each witnessed dose or take-home doses, to confirm that the pharmacy operating hours match the dosing schedule.
• Confirm that stamped or preprinted sticker directions do not conflict with written directions.

2.2 Methadone Maintenance Controlled Prescription Forms – Alterations

Principle 2.2.1

Alterations to the Methadone Maintenance Controlled Prescription form are the exception to the rule and should not be normal practice as they increase the likelihood of errors and drug diversion and put the public at risk.

In the rare circumstance when an alteration is necessary to ensure the continuity of care pharmacists must always use due diligence to ensure authenticity and accuracy of the prescription.

Guideline:

Alterations completed at the prescriber’s office:

Alterations are only permitted on the sections of the form that the prescriber completes provided that the prescriber has initialed the alteration.

Alterations are not permitted to the pre-printed sections of the form.

Alterations completed at the pharmacy:

Pharmacists do not have independent authority to make any alterations or changes to a Methadone Maintenance Controlled Prescription form. Any required or requested change(s) must be patient-specific and authorized by the patient’s prescriber through direct consultation with the pharmacist. Any prescriber-authorized changes must be confirmed in writing, signed by the prescriber, received by the pharmacy (fax is acceptable) prior to dispensing the medication whenever possible and attached and filed with the original prescription.