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Physicians selling prescriptions on the rise, research suggests

Credentialing Resource Center Connection, November 1, 2007

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The percentage of physicians selling prescription medications to their patients could grow to 25% in the next five to 10 years, Mark Bard, president of Manhattan Research, told the Washington Post in an October 30 article. Currently, less than 10% of physicians do this, according to data from the journal Physicians Practice cited in the article.

Dispensing physicians need authorization from pharmacy boards, in addition to their DEA registration, to sell prescription medications. The Joint Commission (formerly JCAHO) requires organized medical staffs to evaluate a physician's DEA registration at initial appointment and reappointment. MSPs typically carryout this responsibility and may be required to verify authorizations from pharmacy boards, too, if the trend of physicians selling prescription medications continues.

"Although physicians' groups such as the AMA and the American Academy of Pediatrics generally support a physician's right to sell medications in the office, patient advocates have qualms," because they worry about physicians abusing the system to increase their profits, according to the article.

An MSP's guide to verifying DEA registrations can be found in the December issue of Briefings on Credentialing, available at www.online-crc.com starting in mid-November.

To read the entire Washington Post article, click here.

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