Policy on Faxed Prescriptions
Approved March 2007, OCP Council
Published May/June, 2007 Pharmacy Connection

It is the responsibility of the pharmacist to ensure, prior to filling, that every
prescription is authentic.

1. All prescription authorizations transmitted by facsimile (fax), must originate with the prescriber. Pharmacists are reminded that fax-header information can be manipulated and so should be verified where appropriate by checking the number against a known fax number for the prescriber.
2. The process of receiving faxed transmissions must maintain patient confidentiality.
3. Patient choice must be protected; that is the patient must determine the pharmacy where the prescription is to be filled.
4. All prescriptions, including those written for narcotic and controlled drugs, may be accepted by fax.
5. If the fax machine uses "thermal" paper, the prescription should be photocopied on plain paper as the thermal image will fade within one year. If the image became unreadable, record keeping requirements would not be met.
6. If a prescription written by a prescriber is faxed to the pharmacy by a patient or a patient’s agent, the original prescription must be provided to the pharmacist before dispensing is completed and the medication is released.