How does this law apply to the patients I see in the emergency department?

Click here for a breakdown about the treatment of patients in the emergency department.

What specifically do I need to do for each person?
When administering controlled substances in the emergency department, there are no extra steps needed then as previously before the law was implemented. The requirements for the ER apply when the physician is either

• Discharging the patient with a prescription for a controlled II through IV substance or
• Dispensing a controlled II through IV substance upon discharge from the emergency department. There are several specific rules to follow if you dispense controlled substances. This will be discussed in its own section or
• The patient is admitted to the hospital. In which case, the patient must have a KASPER report on the chart within 12 hours of admission. This requirement does not specify that this has to be completed by the emergency physician. It may be completed by the admitting physician.

Remember that eKASPER is a tool and can be obtained if you feel that it will add to your medical treatment of your patients regardless of the law parameters.