PRACTICE PARTNER
W
hat do you do if you become aware that one
of your prescription pads has been stolen or
that forged prescriptions with your name are
in circulation?
This is one of many inquiries we receive at the College’s
Physician Advisory Service. Physicians are often uncertain as to what steps should or can be taken to report
the theft and/or forgery, and what actions are permitted
in cases where the theft is committed by a patient.
The College expects that physicians take the appropriate measures to ensure the safety and security of their
prescription pads. Physicians often become aware that
a prescription pad has been stolen because a pharmacist
contacts them to verify a suspicious prescription. If you
become aware that a prescription pad has been stolen
or that forged prescriptions are in circulation, you are
advised to do the following:
• Consult with the CMPA and the Information and Pri
vacy Commissioner’s (IPC) Office to determine if it
would be appropriate to report the theft to the police.
The CMPA and the IPC are best able to advise you
as to what information may be provided to the police
if the theft is committed by a patient. If the theft was
not committed by a patient, there will likely be no
confidentiality concerns to consider. However, it is
still advisable to notify and consult with the CMPA in
these circumstances.
• Contact local pharmacies in the area and ones which
you deal with frequently to inform them of the
circumstances, and request that they contact you to
verify any suspicious prescriptions.
• Ensure that you have publicly available contact
information so that pharmacists or law enforcement
authorities can contact you if necessary.
• ontact the Ontario Public Drug Program (OPDP)
C
to report the theft and/or forgery. The OPDP is a division of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
that will document the details surrounding the stolen
prescription pad and any fraudulent prescriptions.
The OPDP has the ability to notify pharmacies in the
surrounding area alerting them to the situation. The
OPDP can be reached at (416) 327-8106.
• ontact the College’s Physician Advisory Service
C
to notify the College of the incident. If the College
receives any subsequent calls from pharmacists regarding the issue, we will encourage them to contact you
directly to verify any prescriptions.
• ry to ascertain how the theft occurred and take imT
mediate actions to prevent this from happening in
the future. Prescription pads should always be locked
away for safe keeping and physicians must be diligent
in ensuring that they are not inadvertently left in
places that may be susceptible to theft and possible
forgery.
Prescription pad theft and fraudulent prescriptions pose
significant public safety risks. While theft and forgery
are not always preventable, physicians should be vigilant
in safeguarding their prescription pads. After becoming
aware of the problem, physicians should take immediate action to ensure that the appropriate authorities
have been notified. If you have any questions about
this or any other practice related matter, please contact
the College’s Physician Advisory Service at 1-800-2687096 extension 606.
DIALOGUE • Issue 2, 2014
PRACTICE PARTNER
Stolen Prescription Pads
33