2011 Alaska Statutes
Title 17. FOOD AND DRUGS
Chapter 17.30. CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES
Sec. 17.30.200. Controlled substance prescription database.

(a) The controlled substance prescription database is established in the Board of Pharmacy. The purpose of the database is to contain data as described in this section regarding every prescription for a schedule IA, IIA, IIIA, IVA, or VA controlled substance under state law or a schedule I, II, III, IV, or V controlled substance under federal law dispensed in the state to a person other than those administered to a patient at a health care facility. The Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development shall assist the board and provide necessary staff and equipment to implement this section.

(b) The pharmacist-in-charge of each licensed or registered pharmacy, regarding each schedule IA, IIA, IIIA, IVA, or VA controlled substance under state law or a schedule I, II, III, IV, or V controlled substance under federal law dispensed by a pharmacist under the supervision of the pharmacist-in-charge, and each practitioner who directly dispenses a schedule IA, IIA, IIIA, IVA, or VA controlled substance under state law or a schedule I, II, III, IV, or V controlled substance under federal law other than those administered to a patient at a health care facility, shall submit to the board, by a procedure and in a format established by the board, the following information for inclusion in the database:

(1) the name of the prescribing practitioner and the practitioner's federal Drug Enforcement Administration registration number or other appropriate identifier;

(2) the date of the prescription;

(3) the date the prescription was filled and the method of payment; this paragraph does not authorize the board to include individual credit card or other account numbers in the database;

(4) the name, address, and date of birth of the person for whom the prescription was written;

(5) the name and national drug code of the controlled substance;

(6) the quantity and strength of the controlled substance dispensed;

(7) the name of the drug outlet dispensing the controlled substance; and

(8) the name of the pharmacist or practitioner dispensing the controlled substance and other appropriate identifying information.

(c) The board shall maintain the database in an electronic file or by other means established by the board to facilitate use of the database for identification of

(1) prescribing practices and patterns of prescribing and dispensing controlled substances;

(2) practitioners who prescribe controlled substances in an unprofessional or unlawful manner;

(3) individuals who receive prescriptions for controlled substances from licensed practitioners and who subsequently obtain dispensed controlled substances from a drug outlet in quantities or with a frequency inconsistent with generally recognized standards of dosage for that controlled substance; and

(4) individuals who present forged or otherwise false or altered prescriptions for controlled substances to a pharmacy.

(d) The database and the information contained within the database are confidential, are not public records, and are not subject to public disclosure. The board shall undertake to ensure the security and confidentiality of the database and the information contained within the database. The board may allow access to the database only to the following persons, and in accordance with the limitations provided and regulations of the board:

(1) personnel of the board regarding inquiries concerning licensees or registrants of the board or personnel of another board or agency concerning a practitioner under a search warrant, subpoena, or order issued by an administrative law judge or a court;

(2) authorized board personnel or contractors as required for operational and review purposes;

(3) a licensed practitioner having authority to prescribe controlled substances, to the extent the information relates specifically to a current patient of the practitioner to whom the practitioner is prescribing or considering prescribing a controlled substance;

(4) a licensed or registered pharmacist having authority to dispense controlled substances, to the extent the information relates specifically to a current patient to whom the pharmacist is dispensing or considering dispensing a controlled substance;

(5) federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities may receive printouts of information contained in the database under a search warrant, subpoena, or order issued by a court establishing probable cause for the access and use of the information; and

(6) an individual who is the recipient of a controlled substance prescription entered into the database may receive information contained in the database concerning the individual on providing evidence satisfactory to the board that the individual requesting the information is in fact the person about whom the data entry was made and on payment of a fee set by the board under AS 37.10.050 that does not exceed .

(e) The failure of a pharmacist-in-charge, pharmacist, or practitioner to submit information to the database as required under this section is grounds for the board to take disciplinary action against the license or registration of the pharmacy or pharmacist or for another licensing board to take disciplinary action against a practitioner.

(f) The board may enter into agreements with (1) dispensers in this state that are not regulated by the state to submit information to and access information in the database, and (2) practitioners in this state to access information in the database, subject to this section and the regulations of the board. The board shall prohibit a dispenser that is not regulated by the state from accessing the database if the dispenser has accessed information in the database contrary to the limitations of this section, discloses information in the database contrary to the limitations of this section, or allows unauthorized persons access to the database.

(g) The board shall promptly notify the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives if, at any time after September 7, 2008, the federal government fails to pay all or part of the costs of the controlled substance prescription database.

(h) An individual who has submitted information to the database in accordance with this section may not be held civilly liable for having submitted the information. Nothing in this section requires or obligates a dispenser or practitioner to access or check the database before dispensing, prescribing, or administering a medication, or providing medical care to a person. Dispensers or practitioners may not be held civilly liable for damages for accessing or failing to access the information in the database.

(i) A person who has reason to believe that prescription information from the database has been illegally or improperly accessed shall notify an appropriate law enforcement agency.

(j) The board shall notify any person whose prescription information from the database is illegally or improperly accessed.

(k) In the regulations adopted under this section, the board shall provide

(1) that prescription information in the database shall be purged from the database after two years have elapsed from the date the prescription was dispensed;

(2) a method for an individual to challenge information in the database about the individual that the person believes is incorrect or was incorrectly entered by a dispenser.

(l) A person

(1) with authority to access the database under (d) of this section who knowingly

(A) accesses information in the database beyond the scope of the person's authority commits a class A misdemeanor;

(B) accesses information in the database and recklessly discloses that information to a person not entitled to access or to receive the information commits a class C felony;

(C) allows another person who is not authorized to access the database to access the database commits a class C felony;

(2) without authority to access the database under (d) of this section who knowingly accesses the database or knowingly receives information that the person is not authorized to receive under (d) of this section from another person commits a class C felony.

(m) To assist in fulfilling the program responsibilities, performance measures shall be reported to the legislature annually. Performance measures may include outcomes detailed in the federal prescription drug monitoring program grant regarding efforts to

(1) reduce the rate of inappropriate use of prescription drugs by reporting education efforts conducted by the Board of Pharmacy;

(2) reduce the quantity of pharmaceutical controlled substances obtained by individuals attempting to engage in fraud and deceit;

(3) increase coordination among prescription drug monitoring program partners; and

(4) involve stakeholders in the planning process.

(n) In this section,

(1) "board" means the Board of Pharmacy;

(2) "database" means the controlled substance prescription database established in this section;

(3) "knowingly" has the meaning given in AS 11.81.900 ;

(4) "pharmacist-in-charge" has the meaning given in AS 08.80.480 .