A.R.S. § 36-2606: Prescription Monitoring Program
Registration; access; requirements; mandatory use; annual user satisfaction survey; report; definitions
Arizona medical practitioners and qualifying pharmacists must register with the State Board of Pharmacy to use the prescription monitoring database, using only their own login credentials, and registration is valid only alongside a valid DEA number and state license. Before prescribing or refilling a schedule II, III, or IV opioid or benzodiazepine, or dispensing a schedule II drug, they must check a twelve-month patient report, though this is not required for hospice, palliative, cancer, or dialysis patients, drugs administered directly, inpatient or residential facility care, or prescriptions of five days or less for certain procedures, acute injuries, or emergency department diagnoses (excluding back pain). Good-faith users are protected from liability, no penalty applies when the system is down if the attempt is documented, electronic records vendors must connect to the database by December 31, 2026, and the board must report an annual user satisfaction survey by December 1 each year.
Full statute text
Official text last checked against azleg.gov:
36-2606. Registration; access; requirements; mandatory use; annual user satisfaction survey; report; definitions
A. A medical practitioner regulatory board shall notify each medical practitioner who receives an initial or renewal license and who intends to apply for registration or has an active registration under the controlled substances act (21 United States Code sections 801 through 904) with an address in this state of the medical practitioner's responsibility to register with the Arizona state board of pharmacy and be granted access to the controlled substances prescription monitoring program's central database tracking system. The Arizona state board of pharmacy shall provide access to the central database tracking system to each medical practitioner who has a valid license pursuant to title 32 and who possesses a registration under the controlled substances act (21 United States Code sections 801 through 904) with an address in this state. The Arizona state board of pharmacy shall notify each pharmacist of the pharmacist's responsibility to register with the Arizona state board of pharmacy and be granted access to the controlled substances prescription monitoring program's central database tracking system. The Arizona state board of pharmacy shall provide access to the central database tracking system to each pharmacist who has a valid license pursuant to title 32, chapter 18 and who is employed by either:
1. A facility that has a valid United States drug enforcement administration registration number.
2. The administration, a contractor or a health care insurer and who has a national provider identifier number.
B. The registration is:
1. Valid in conjunction with a valid United States drug enforcement administration registration number and a valid license issued by a medical practitioner regulatory board established pursuant to title 32, chapter 7, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 25 or 29.
2. Valid in conjunction with a valid license issued by the Arizona state board of pharmacy for a pharmacist who is employed by either:
(a) A facility that has a valid United States drug enforcement administration registration number.
(b) The administration, a contractor or a health care insurer and who has a national provider identifier number.
3. Not transferable or assignable.
C. An applicant for registration pursuant to this section must apply as prescribed by the board.
D. A person who is authorized to access the controlled substances prescription monitoring program's central database tracking system may do so using only that person's assigned identifier and may not use the assigned identifier of another person.
E. A medical practitioner, before prescribing an opioid analgesic or benzodiazepine controlled substance listed in schedule II, III or IV for a patient, shall obtain a patient utilization report regarding the patient for the preceding twelve months from the controlled substances prescription monitoring program's central database tracking system before issuing a prescription and before prescribing any subsequent refill of that prescription. Each medical practitioner regulatory board shall notify the medical practitioners licensed by that board of the mandatory use requirements outlined in this subsection.
F. Before a pharmacist dispenses or before a pharmacy technician or pharmacy intern of a remote dispensing site pharmacy dispenses a schedule II controlled substance, a dispenser shall obtain a patient utilization report regarding the patient for the preceding twelve months from the controlled substances prescription monitoring program's central database tracking system.
G. The medical practitioner or dispenser is not required to obtain a patient utilization report from the central database tracking system pursuant to subsection E of this section if any of the following applies:
1. The patient is receiving hospice care or palliative care for a serious or chronic illness.
2. The patient is receiving care for cancer, a cancer-related illness or condition or dialysis treatment.
3. A medical practitioner will administer the controlled substance.
4. The patient is receiving the controlled substance during the course of inpatient or residential treatment in a hospital, nursing care facility, assisted living facility, correctional facility or mental health facility.
5. The medical practitioner is prescribing the controlled substance to the patient for not more than a five-day period for an invasive medical or dental procedure or a medical or dental procedure that results in acute pain to the patient.
6. The medical practitioner is prescribing the controlled substance to the patient for not more than a five-day period for a patient who has suffered an acute injury or a medical or dental disease process that is diagnosed in an emergency department setting and that results in acute pain to the patient. An acute injury or medical disease process does not include back pain.
H. On or before December 31, 2026, a vendor that provides electronic medical records services to a medical practitioner in this state shall integrate the vendor's electronic medical records system with the program's central database tracking system either directly or through the statewide health information exchange or a third-party vendor.
I. If a medical practitioner or dispenser uses electronic medical records that integrate data from the controlled substances prescription monitoring program, a review of the electronic medical records with the integrated data shall be deemed compliant with the review of the program's central database tracking system as required in subsection E of this section.
J. The board shall promote and enter into data sharing agreements to integrate and display patient utilization reports within electronic medical records.
K. By complying with this section, a medical practitioner or dispenser who acts in good faith, or the medical practitioner's or dispenser's employer, is not subject to liability or disciplinary action arising solely from either:
1. Requesting or receiving, or failing to request or receive, prescription monitoring data from the program's central database tracking system.
2. Acting or failing to act on the basis of the prescription monitoring data provided by the program's central database tracking system.
L. Notwithstanding any provision of this section to the contrary, medical practitioners or dispensers and their delegates are not in violation of this section during any time period in which the controlled substances prescription monitoring program's central database tracking system is suspended or is not operational or available in a timely manner. If the program's central database tracking system is not accessible, the medical practitioner or dispenser or the medical practitioner's or dispenser's delegate shall document the date and time the practitioner, dispenser or delegate attempted to use the central database tracking system pursuant to a process established by board rule.
M. The board shall conduct an annual voluntary survey of program users to assess user satisfaction with the program's central database tracking system. The survey may be conducted electronically. On or before December 1 of each year, the board shall provide a report of the survey results to the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives and the governor and shall provide a copy of this report to the secretary of state.
N. This section does not prohibit a medical practitioner regulatory board or the Arizona state board of pharmacy from obtaining and using information from the program's central database tracking system.
O. For the purposes of this section:
1. "Administration" has the same meaning prescribed in section 36-2901.
2. "Contractor" has the same meaning prescribed in section 36-2901.
3. "Dispenser" means a pharmacist who is licensed pursuant to title 32, chapter 18.
4. "Emergency department" means the unit within a hospital that is designed to provide emergency services.
5. "Health care insurer" has the same meaning prescribed in section 20-3151.
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