10/20/16
Advisory 16-10-01: Physician Signatures on EMS PCRs Documenting Administration of Medications
Office of Emergency Medical Services
Department of Public Health
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Notice
Advisory 16-10-01: Physician Signatures on EMS Patient Care Reports (PCRs) Documenting Administration of Prescription Medications
The MA Department of Public Health’s (Department’s) Bureau of Health Care Safety and Quality has issued the attached Advisory, clarifying the state’s Controlled Substances Act, and the Drug Control Program regulation that requires EMS personnel to administer controlled substances only pursuant to an order of a practitioner and the Statewide Treatment Protocols. Pursuant to those legal requirements, the EMS PCRs that document administration of controlled substances must be signed by a physician. The attached Advisory addresses the Department’s determination about appropriate signature of PCRs by physicians and the “order” for the medication.
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