1. (A) If the written scope of practice guidelines authorizes the physician's assistant to prescribe drug therapy:

   1. (1) prescriptions for authorized drugs and devices shall comply with all applicable state and federal laws;
   2. (2) prescriptions must be limited to drugs and devices authorized by the supervising physician and set forth in the written scope of practice guidelines;
   3. (3) prescriptions must be signed by the physician assistant and must bear the physician assistant's identification number as assigned by the board and all prescribing numbers required by law. The preprinted prescription form shall include both the physician assistant's and physician's name, address, and phone number and shall comply with the provisions of Section 39-24-40;
   4. (4) drugs or devices prescribed must be specifically documented in the patient record;
   5. (5) the physician assistant may request, receive, and sign for professional samples of drugs authorized in the written scope of practice guidelines, except for controlled substances in Schedule II, and may distribute professional samples to patients in compliance with appropriate federal and state regulations and the written scope of practice guidelines.

2. (B) When applying for controlled substance prescriptive authority, the applicant shall comply with the following requirements:

   1. (1) the physician assistant shall provide evidence of completion of sixty contact hours of education in pharmacotherapeutics acceptable to the board before application;
   2. (2) the physician assistant shall provide at least fifteen contact hours of education in controlled substances acceptable to the board;
   3. (3) every two years, the physician assistant shall provide documentation of four continuing education contact hours in prescribing controlled substances acceptable to the board; and
   4. (4) the physician assistant and supervising physician must read and sign a document approved by the board describing the management of expanded controlled substances prescriptive authority for physician assistants in South Carolina which must be kept on file for review. Within the two-year period, the physician assistant and the supervising physician periodically shall review this document and the physician assistant's prescribing practices to ensure proper prescribing procedures are followed. This review must be documented in writing with a copy kept at each practice site.

3. (C) A physician assistant's prescriptive authorization may be terminated by the board if the physician assistant:

   1. (1) practices outside the written scope of practice guidelines;
   2. (2) violates any state or federal law or regulation applicable to prescriptions; or
   3. (3) violates a state or federal law applicable to physician assistants.

HISTORY: 2000 Act No. 359, Section 1; 2006 Act No. 244, Section 7.