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Dear Stakeholder -
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken an unprecedented toll on Washington’s health care system over the last several months. Health care providers have been consumed with planning for and responding to the surge of patients needing critical care due to COVID-19. Although we are seeing hopeful signs that the spread of COVID-19 has slowed, the pandemic is not over. This public health emergency will continue to require the full focus of health care entities in Washington for some time to come.
In light of this, the Secretary of Health is exercising his authority under RCW 69.50.312(3) to grant a nine-month waiver to all health care providers authorized to prescribe controlled substances and subject to RCW 69.50.312(1) from complying with the e-prescribing requirements of RCW 69.50.312(1) by January 1, 2021. This requirement was created by the passage of Substitute Senate Bill 5380 during the 2019 Legislative Session.
This waiver will expire on September 30, 2021. At that time, all health care providers subject to the electronic prescribing requirement must either be in compliance with RCW 69.50.312(1) or meet at least one of the exemption criteria in RCW 69.50.312(2). The exemption criteria include the possibility of health care providers receiving another waiver issued by the Department of Health. For more information or questions on the e-prescribing requirement and the Secretary’s waiver, please contact PharmacyRules@doh.wa.gov.
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