Prescription adaptation can be defined as a pharmacist's authority to modify medication regimens from the original prescriber, either independently or in collaboration with the original prescriber (e.g., physician, nurse practitioner), to improve a patient's health outcome. Some states leverage prescription adaptation so that patients living in rural areas or with limited access to transportation may avoid unnecessary travel to the doctor's office to modify a prescription.
This can include modifying the quantity of a prescription (e.g., changing a 30-day supply to a 60-day supply) or switching a patient to a different medication that has the same effect as the previously prescribed drug (i.e., therapeutic substitution).
The adaptation cannot change the type of medication or the outcome that the original prescriber intended. Some states have used this as a way to help patients in rural areas to avoid unnecessary travel to the doctor’s office to modify a prescription.
The map reflects which states authorize pharmacists to modify prescriptions