ePrescribing Terms and Definitions
DEA
United States Drug Enforcement Agency; regulates who may prescribe and how.
Prescriber
A provider who has a DEA# and is, by law, able to prescribe medications. From Wikipedia:
National and state legislation governs who can write a prescription.
Physicians (either M.D., D.O., or D.P.M.) have the broadest prescriptive authority.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia allow licensed certified Physician Assistants (PAs) and registered certified nurse practitioners and other advanced practice registered nurses (such as certified nurse-midwives) prescription authority (with some states, limitations exist to controlled substances).
Other healthcare professions have prescriptive authority related to their area of practice.
Veterinarians and dentists have prescribing power in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Clinical pharmacists are allowed to prescribe in some states through the use of a drug formulary or collaboration agreements. Florida pharmacists can write prescriptions for a limited set of drugs
In all states, optometrists prescribe medications to treat certain eye diseases, and also issue spectacle and contact lens prescriptions for corrective eyewear.
Several states have passed RxP legislation, allowing clinical psychologists (PhDs or PsyDs) who are registered as medical psychologists and have also undergone specialized training in script-writing to prescribe drugs to treat emotional and mental disorders.
Chiropractors may have the ability to write a prescription, depending on scope of practice laws in a jurisdiction.
EPCS
Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances
"Scheduled" Medications
The DEA has categorized all potentially addictive and/or harmful medications in one of 5 Categories (I – V). The drug classification schedules organize drugs into groups based on risk of abuse or harm. Those drugs with high risk and no counterbalancing benefit are banned from medical practice and are Schedule I drugs. The “N” below identifies non-narcotic drugs in each schedule.
Schedule I
Substances in this schedule have no currently accepted medical use in the United States, a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision, and a high potential for abuse. Examples: Marijuana, Heroin
Schedule II/IIN (2/2N)
Substances in this schedule have a high potential for abuse which may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence. Examples: Dilaudid, Percocet, Fentanyl
Schedule III/IIIN (3/3N)
Substances in this schedule have a potential for abuse less than substances in Schedules I or II and abuse may lead to moderate or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence. Examples: Ketamine, Anabolic Steroids
Schedule IV
Substances in this schedule have a low potential for abuse relative to substances in Schedule III. Examples: Valium, Xanax
Schedule V
Substances in this schedule have a low potential for abuse relative to substances listed in Schedule IV and consist primarily of preparations containing limited quantities of certain narcotics. Examples: cough preparations containing not more than 200 milligrams of codeine per 100 milliliters or per 100 grams (Robitussin AC, Phenergan with Codeine)
Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medications
A medication or supplement that may be purchased without a prescription (e.g. Tylenol). Some OTC medications require the purchaser to show their ID (e.g. Sudafed).
Many spas and anti-aging clinics are “prescribing” vitamins and supplements. These are technically over-the-counter, but are not necessarily approved by the Federal Food & Drug Administration.