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Rx Obtained Over Internet
July 1, 2006
Medical Review Officer
Verification Process
Is a Medical Review Officer (MRO) permitted to accept an employee’s prescription for medication obtained over the Internet?
Answer
- An MRO is authorized to accept an employee’s prescription for medication obtained over the Internet only if there is proof that a legitimate doctor-patient relationship had been established.
- The following four elements generally serve as an indication that a legitimate doctor-patient relationship has been established:
- A patient has a medical complaint;
- A medical history has been taken;
- A physical examination has been performed; and
- Some logical connection exists between the complaint, the medical history, the physical examination, and the drug prescribed.
- Standing alone, the completion of an online questionnaire reviewed later by a pharmacy-employed doctor fails to establish a proper doctor-patient relationship.
- The MRO should, at a minimum, consider the following items when verifying the test result:
- The name, physical location, and state(s) of licensure of the prescribing practitioner;
- Whether the employee was professionally evaluated for the current medical complaint by the prescribing practitioner, and the last time the employee was in direct contact with the prescribing practitioner;
- Whether the employee initiated the request to the pharmacy for a particular medication; and
- Whether a proper doctor-patient relationship existed.
- It is the employee’s responsibility to provide sufficient documentation to address MRO inquiries as to whether there was a legitimate doctor-patient relationship.
Question
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