(1) When sufficient funding is provided for such purpose through federal or private grants, or is appropriated by the legislature, the department shall establish and maintain a prescription monitoring program to monitor the prescribing and dispensing of all Schedules II, III, IV, and V controlled substances and any additional drugs identified by the board of pharmacy as demonstrating a potential for abuse by all professionals licensed to prescribe or dispense such substances in this state. The program shall be designed to improve health care quality and effectiveness by reducing abuse of controlled substances, reducing duplicative prescribing and overprescribing of controlled substances, and improving controlled substance prescribing practices with the intent of eventually establishing an electronic database available in real time to dispensers and prescribers of control [controlled] substances. As much as possible, the department should establish a common database with other states.

     (2) Except as provided in subsection (4) of this section, each dispenser shall submit to the department by electronic means information regarding each prescription dispensed for a drug included under subsection (1) of this section. Drug prescriptions for more than immediate one day use should be reported. The information submitted for each prescription shall include, but not be limited to:

     (a) Patient identifier;

     (b) Drug dispensed;

     (c) Date of dispensing;

     (d) Quantity dispensed;

     (e) Prescriber; and

     (f) Dispenser.

     (3) Each dispenser shall submit the information in accordance with transmission methods established by the department.

     (4) The data submission requirements of this section do not apply to:

     (a) Medications provided to patients receiving inpatient services provided at hospitals licensed under chapter 70.41 RCW; or patients of such hospitals receiving services at the clinics, day surgery areas, or other settings within the hospital's license where the medications are administered in single doses; or

     (b) Pharmacies operated by the department of corrections for the purpose of providing medications to offenders in department of corrections institutions who are receiving pharmaceutical services from a department of corrections pharmacy, except that the department of corrections must submit data related to each offender's current prescriptions for controlled substances upon the offender's release from a department of corrections institution.

     (5) The department shall seek federal grants to support the activities described in chapter 259, Laws of 2007. The department may not require a practitioner or a pharmacist to pay a fee or tax specifically dedicated to the operation of the system.

[2007 c 259 § 43.]