3.10 Medical Practitioners - Practicing Status and Practitioner Restrictions

General Policy Description

PharmaNet identifies

• The practicing status of a prescriber
• Any restrictions that preclude a practitioner from prescribing specific medications (e.g., narcotics or controlled or targeted substances)

This function identifies all members of the College of Physicians & Surgeons of British Columbia and the College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia.

Practicing status and prescriber restriction data are supplied by the relevant college via direct, regular loads to the PharmaNet database. Questions regarding the application of practicing status and prescriber restrictions should be addressed to the relevant college.

Policy Details

PharmaNet will reject, without adjudication, any claims for prescriptions by non-practicing or unauthorized prescribers.

Practitioner status for midwives, podiatrists, nurse practitioners, optometrists, naturopaths, veterinarians and members of the Alberta College of Physicians & Surgeons are not identified by this function. These prescribers are monitored through retrospective audits.

When a pharmacist performs a search for a practitioner using the Practitioner ID, PharmaNet responds with the practitioner information and the practicing status.

When a pharmacist searches for a practitioner using the practitioner name, only information on matching practitioners who have practicing status is returned.