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healthcare professional resources

THE PHARMACY ACCESS TO RESOURCES AND MEDICATION FOR OPIOID USE DISORDER (PhARM-OUD) GUIDELINE

PhARM-OUD Guideline

Addressing Issues at the Pharmacy with Buprenorphine Prescriptions Addressing Issues at the Pharmacy with Buprenorphine Prescriptions A Toolkit for Clinicians A Toolkit for Clinicians Dispensing Buprenorphine at the Pharmacy Although buprenorphine is an FDA-approved medication to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) that was dispensed almost 16 million times in 2023, practitioners prescribing it still encounter pharmacists with questions or concerns about the prescription. While pharmacists are expected to fill prescriptions issued for a legitimate medical purpose to a patient that is expected to benefit from the treatment, they also have a corresponding responsibility that gives them autonomy to decline to fill prescriptions in cases where the pharmacist is unable to resolve their concerns about the validity of the prescription. In essence, a pharmacist is not legally required to dispense buprenorphine simply because it was prescribed.-

ASAM Clinician Toolkit

Resources to Share with Patients

Everyone deserves respectful, timely access to the medication they need to recover. If you are prescribed buprenorphine for opioid use disorder, you have rights under federal law that protect your privacy, access to care, and how you are treated. You can use this card to understand your rights and know what to do if issues come up when filling your prescription.

Pharmacy Patient's Bill of Rights

A Pharmacy Guide for Buprenorphine Patients: Suboxone, Subutex, and Zubsolv that states Common Problems and What You Can Say

Pharmacy Guide for Buprenorphine Patients

Accessing Buprenorphine at the Pharmacy: A Guide for Patients (Suboxone, Subutex, and Zubsolv) uestions to Ask Your Doctor or Provider:
Include their cell phone or direct contact information on the prescription itself. This helps the pharmacist reach them quickly if needed. Also, ask your doctor if they are OK giving you their on-call line or cell phone number to use if you need help getting your medication at the pharmacy.
Include a diagnosis code on your prescription. Pharmacists often need this code to enter a buprenorphine prescription in their system.
Include a personal note to the pharmacist, either on the prescription or in the notes section on the electronic prescription, like: “Thanks for helping our patient access their life-saving treatment! Please reach out if you have any questions.”
Give you the names of local pharmacies that should have your medication in stock.
Write “OK to fill now/today” on the prescription, if you are getting a refill that might be earlier usual

Accessing Buprenorphine Pamplet

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