(a) All persons engaging in the practice of pharmacy in this state must be licensed by the board.

(b) Prescription drugs shall be dispensed only pursuant to a valid prescription drug order. A pharmacist shall not dispense a prescription which the pharmacist knows or should know is not a valid prescription.

(c) A prescription drug order may be accepted by a pharmacist or pharmacy intern in written form, orally, via facsimile, or electronically as set forth in this chapter or as set forth in regulations promulgated by the board. Provisions for accepting a prescription drug order for a Schedule II controlled substance are set forth in subsection (l) of this Code section. Prescriptions transmitted either electronically or via facsimile shall meet the following requirements:

(1) Electronically transmitted prescription drug orders shall be transmitted by the practitioner or, in the case of a prescription drug order to be transmitted via facsimile, by the practitioner or the practitioner's agent under supervision of the practitioner, to the pharmacy of the patient's choice with no intervening person or intermediary having access to the prescription drug order;

(2) Prescription drug orders transmitted by facsimile or computer shall include:

(A) In the case of a prescription drug order for a dangerous drug, the complete name and address of the practitioner;

(B) In the case of a prescription drug order for a controlled substance, the complete name, address, and DEA registration number of the practitioner;

(C) The telephone number of the practitioner for verbal confirmation;

(D) The name and address of the patient;

(E) The time and date of the transmission; and

(F) The full name of the person transmitting the order;

(3) An electronically transmitted drug order which meets the requirements of this Code section shall be deemed the original order;

(4) The pharmacist shall exercise professional judgment regarding the accuracy and authenticity of the transmitted prescription drug order consistent with federal and state laws and rules and regulations adopted pursuant to the same;

(5) An electronically transmitted prescription drug order from a prescriber to a pharmacist shall be considered a highly confidential transaction and the said transmission shall not be compromised by interventions, control, change, altering, or manipulation by any other person or party in any manner whatsoever; (6) Any pharmacist that transmits, receives, or maintains any prescription or prescription refill either orally, in writing, or electronically shall ensure the security, integrity, and confidentiality of the prescription and any information contained therein; and

(7) The board shall promulgate rules and regulations which may provide specific exceptions under this Code section for institutional settings such as hospital pharmacies, nursing home pharmacies, clinic pharmacies, or pharmacies owned or operated directly by health maintenance organizations.

(d) Information contained in the patient medication record or profile shall be considered confidential information as defined in this title. Confidential information may be released to the patient or the patient's authorized representative, the prescriber or other licensed health care practitioners then caring for the patient, another licensed pharmacist, the board or its representative, or any other person duly authorized to receive such information. In accordance with Code Section 24-9-40, confidential information may be released to others only on the written release of the patient, court order, or subpoena.

(e) Except as authorized under subsection (j) of this Code section, a prescription may not be refilled without authorization. When refills are dispensed pursuant to authorization contained on the original prescription or when no refills are authorized on the original prescription but refills are subsequently authorized by the practitioner, the refill authorization shall be recorded on the original prescription document and the record of any refill made shall be maintained on the back of the original prescription document or on some other uniformly maintained record and the dispensing pharmacist shall record the date of the refill, the quantity of the drug dispensed, and the dispensing pharmacist's initials; provided, however, that an original prescription for a Schedule III, IV, or V controlled substance which contains no refill information may not be authorized to be refilled more than five times or after six months from the date of issuance, whichever occurs first. Authorization for any additional refill of a Schedule III, IV, or V controlled substance prescription in excess of five refills or after six months from the date of issuance of the prescription shall be treated as a new prescription.

(f) When filling a prescription or refilling a prescription which may be refilled, the pharmacist shall exercise professional judgment in the matter. No prescription shall be filled or refilled with greater frequency than the approximate interval of time that the dosage regimen ordered by the prescriber would indicate, unless extenuating circumstances are documented which would justify a shorter interval of time before the filling or refilling of the prescription.

(g) The pharmacist who fills or refills a prescription shall record the date of dispensing and indicate the identity of the dispensing pharmacist on the prescription document or some other appropriate and uniformly maintained record. If this record is maintained on the original prescription document, the original dispensing and any refills must be recorded on the back of the prescription.

(h) When the patient no longer seeks personal consultation or treatment from the practitioner, the practitioner and patient relationship is terminated. A prescription becomes invalid after the practitioner and patient relationship is terminated which is defined as a reasonable period of time not to exceed six months in which the patient could have established a new practitioner and patient relationship as established by the board through the promulgation of rules and regulations.

(i) A written prescription drug order must bear an original signature of the practitioner. A signature stamp or other signature facsimile is not acceptable in lieu of an original signature. When an oral prescription drug order or the oral authorization for the refilling of a prescription drug order is received which is transmitted by someone other than the practitioner, the name of the individual making the transmission and the date of the transmission must be recorded on the original prescription drug order or other uniform record by the pharmacist receiving the transmission.

(j) A pharmacist licensed by the board may dispense up to a 72 hour supply of a prescribed medication in the event the pharmacist is unable to contact the practitioner to obtain refill authorization, provided that:

(1) The prescription is not for a controlled substance;

(2) In the pharmacist's professional judgment, the interruption of therapy might reasonably produce undesirable health consequences or may cause physical or mental discomfort;

(3) The dispensing pharmacist notifies the practitioner or his or her agent of the dispensing within seven working days after the prescription is refilled pursuant to this subsection;

(4) The pharmacist properly records the dispensing as a separate nonrefillable prescription. Said document shall be filed as is required of all other prescription records. This document shall be serially numbered and contain all information required of other prescriptions. In addition it shall contain the number of the prescription from which it was refilled;

(5) The pharmacist shall record on the patient's record and on the new document the circumstances which warrant such dispensing; and

(6) The pharmacist does not employ this provision regularly for the same patient on the same medication.

(k) All out-patient prescription drug orders which are dispensed shall be appropriately labeled in accordance with the rules and regulations promulgated by the board as follows:

(1) Before an out-patient prescription drug is released from the dispensing area, the prescription drug shall bear a label containing the name and address of the pharmacy, a prescription number, the name of the prescriber, the name of the patient, directions for taking the medication, the date of the filling or refilling of the prescription, the initials or identifying code of the dispensing pharmacist, and any other information which is necessary, required, or, in the pharmacist's professional judgment, appropriate; and (2) The pharmacist who fills an out-patient prescription drug order shall indicate the identity of the dispensing pharmacist on the label of the prescription drug. Identification may be made by placing initials on the label of the dispensed drug. The label shall be affixed to the outside of the container of the dispensed drug by means of adhesive or tape or any other means which will assure that the label remains attached to the container.

(l) A Schedule II controlled substance prescription in written form signed in indelible ink by the practitioner may be accepted by a pharmacist and the Schedule II controlled substance may be dispensed by such pharmacist. Other Schedule II controlled substance prescription forms may be accepted by a pharmacist and the Schedule II controlled substance may be dispensed by such pharmacist in accordance with regulations promulgated by the board.