720 ILCS 570/311.6

(720 ILCS 570/311.6)

Sec. 311.6. Opioid prescriptions.

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a prescription for a substance classified in Schedule II, III, IV, or V must be sent electronically, in accordance with Section 316. Prescriptions sent in accordance with this subsection (a) must be accepted by the dispenser in electronic format.

(b) Beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly until December 31, 2028, notwithstanding any other provision of this Section or any other provision of law, a prescriber shall not be required to issue prescriptions electronically if he or she certifies to the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation that he or she will not issue more than 150 prescriptions during a 12-month period. Prescriptions in both oral and written form for controlled substances shall be included in determining whether the prescriber will reach the limit of 150 prescriptions. Beginning January 1, 2029, notwithstanding any other provision of this Section or any other provision of law, a prescriber shall not be required to issue prescriptions electronically if he or she certifies to the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation that he or she will not issue more than 50 prescriptions during a 12-month period. Prescriptions in both oral and written form for controlled substances shall be included in determining whether the prescriber will reach the limit of 50 prescriptions.

(b-5) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section or any other provision of law, a prescriber shall not be required to issue prescriptions electronically under the following circumstances:

(1) prior to January 1, 2026, the prescriber demonstrates financial difficulties in buying or managing an electronic prescription option, whether it is an electronic health record or some other electronic prescribing product;

(2) on and after January 1, 2026, the prescriber provides proof of a waiver from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for the Electronic Prescribing for Controlled Substances Program due to demonstrated economic hardship for the previous compliance year;

(3) there is a temporary technological or electrical failure that prevents an electronic prescription from being issued;

(4) the prescription is for a drug that the practitioner reasonably determines would be impractical for the patient to obtain in a timely manner if prescribed by an electronic data transmission prescription and the delay would adversely impact the patient's medical condition;

(5) the prescription is for an individual who:

(A) resides in a nursing or assisted living facility;

(B) is receiving hospice or palliative care;

(C) is receiving care at an outpatient renal dialysis facility and the prescription is related to the care provided;

(D) is receiving care through the United States Department of Veterans Affairs; or

(E) is incarcerated in a state, detained, or confined in a correctional facility;

(6) the prescription prescribes a drug under a research protocol;

(7) the prescription is a non-patient specific prescription dispensed under a standing order, approved protocol for drug therapy, collaborative drug management, or comprehensive medication management, or in response to a public health emergency or other circumstance in which the practitioner may issue a non-patient specific prescription;

(8) the prescription is issued when the prescriber and dispenser are the same entity;

(9) the prescription is issued for a compound prescription containing 2 or more compounds; or

(10) the prescription is issued by a licensed veterinarian within 2 years after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly.

(c) The Department of Financial and Professional Regulation may adopt rules for the administration of this Section to the requirements under this Section that the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation may deem appropriate.

(d) Any prescriber who makes a good faith effort to prescribe electronically, but for reasons not within the prescriber's control is unable to prescribe electronically, may be exempt from any disciplinary action.

(e) Any pharmacist who dispenses in good faith based upon a valid prescription that is not prescribed electronically may be exempt from any disciplinary action. A pharmacist is not required to ensure or responsible for ensuring the prescriber's compliance under subsection (b), nor may any other entity or organization require a pharmacist to ensure the prescriber's compliance with that subsection. A pharmacist may not refuse to fill a valid prescription solely because it is not prescribed electronically.

(f) It shall be a violation of this Section for any prescriber or dispenser to adopt a policy contrary to this Section.

(g) A compliance action with respect to this Section initiated by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation prior to December 31, 2030 is limited to a non-disciplinary warning letter or citation, unless the prescriber or dispenser fails to abide by the initial non-disciplinary warning letter or citation, has acted in bad faith, or a pattern of practice in violation of this Section occurs.

(Source: P.A. 102-490, eff. 1-1-24 (See Section 55 of P.A. 102-1109 for effective date of P.A. 102-490); 103-425, eff. 1-1-24; 103-563, eff. 11-17-23; 103-732, eff. 8-2-24.)