Reminder: Due to the state of emergency in Texas and under the guidelines of the Texas Controlled Substances Act, providers may prescribe a controlled substance telephonically to an in-network pharmacy and follow up within seven (7) days with a written prescription. State guidelines are as follows:

Texas Controlled Substances Act

Sec. 481.074. Prescriptions.

(b) Except in an emergency as defined by rule of the board or as provided by Subsection (o) or Section 481.075(j) or (m), a person may not dispense or administer a controlled substance listed in Schedule II without a written prescription of a practitioner on an official prescription form or without an electronic prescription that meets the requirements of and is completed by the practitioner in accordance with Section 481.075. In an emergency, a person may dispense or administer a controlled substance listed in Schedule II on the oral or telephonically communicated prescription of a practitioner. The person who administers or dispenses the substance shall:

(1) if the person is a prescribing practitioner or a pharmacist, promptly comply with Subsection (c); or

(2) if the person is not a prescribing practitioner or a pharmacist, promptly write the oral or telephonically communicated prescription and include in the written record of the prescription the name, address, and Federal Drug Enforcement Administration number issued for prescribing a controlled substance in this state of the prescribing practitioner, all information required to be provided by a practitioner under Section 481.075(e)(1), and all information required to be provided by a dispensing pharmacist under Section 481.075(e)(2).

(c) Not later than the seventh day after the date a prescribing practitioner authorizes an emergency oral or telephonically communicated prescription, the prescribing practitioner shall cause a written or electronic prescription, completed in the manner required by Section 481.075, to be delivered to the dispensing pharmacist at the pharmacy where the prescription was dispensed. A written prescription may be delivered in person or by mail. The envelope of a prescription delivered by mail must be postmarked not later than the seventh day after the date the prescription was authorized. On receipt of a written prescription, the dispensing pharmacy shall file the transcription of the telephonically communicated prescription and the pharmacy copy and shall send information to the board as required by Section 481.075. On receipt of an electronic prescription, the pharmacist shall annotate the electronic prescription record with the original authorization and date of the emergency oral or telephonically communicated prescription.

If you need a member’s prescription processing information, please visit our Pharmacist Resource Center at www.express-scripts.com/prc. If you still need assistance processing a claim, please call the Express Scripts Pharmacy Help Desk at 800.922.1557.