Controlled Substance Policy
Pertaining to Controlled Substances (Schedule 2, 3, 4 and 5)
Provider will perform an assessment during a scheduled patient office visit arranged for that purpose and determine if medication is appropriate or not. You may be required to have an evaluation by a specialist prior to medication being started. If you were prescribed medication by another physician, the patient must provide Novus Primary Care the medical records from previous physician.
All Controlled Substance prescriptions shall be for a maximum of 30 days for any one fill at a designated pharmacy. These prescriptions can be so designated they can be refilled for a maximum of two (2) times (3 individual scripts, equaling 90 days total). If a patient’s insurance allows, one 90-day prescription with no refill may be issued instead. It is the patients responsibility to know which is covered by their insurance. The prescriptions CAN NOT BE CHANGED OR ALTERED ONCE ISSUED unless the patient is seen in the office for a scheduled appointment with the physician.
NO prescription for a controlled substance shall be authorized by telephone or after regularly scheduled office hours. Refills will be completed within 48-72 business hours.
All patients using prescribed Controlled Substance medications on a continuing basis must be monitored through regularly scheduled office visits. All patients using any controlled substance must be seen and evaluated every 90 days or less by the prescribing provider at a regularly scheduled office visit. Any alterations in the quantity or method of using the medication must be completed at a regularly schedule office visit with the provider establishing the reason for such alterations. If the patient does not return for a 90-day recheck, refill prescription for the medication will not be issued. If a recheck visit is not completed within 120 days following the patient’s previous visit, the preceding process must be started from the beginning again with a new script and a 30 day follow-up visit scheduled prior to instituting a 90-day monitoring schedule again.
All lost, destroyed, stolen, expired or otherwise misplaced or misused Controlled Substance medications and/or their scripts will not be replaced.
Prior to initiation of medication a Controlled Substance Agreement will need to be signed. This will need to be renewed yearly. You will also be required to provide a urine sample for drug screening prior to initiation and again at the discretion of the physician.
* Please note, we will not prescribe long term benzodiazepine medication (i.e. xanax, valium, ativan, etc).