Health Canada's New Interpretation Allows Electronic Prescriptions for Storage
July 22, 2014 (OTTAWA): The Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA) and the Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores (CACDS) today welcomed confirmation from Health Canada that the federal regulation in the Food and Drug Act requiring pharmacies to maintain two years worth of written prescriptions has been officially interpreted to allow for electronically scanned retention. The confirmation, contained in a letter received from Health Canada, states that so long as prescriptions are scanned into a secure electronic database, there is no longer a need to retain original written copies.
In October 2013, CPhA and CACDS sent a joint letter to Health Canada asking for such a change. A subsequent meeting was held in January 2014, at which time Health Canada stated that it needed time to review the request. The July 14, 2014 letter from Health Canada confirming this change represents the successful completion of this effort.
“I would like to thank Health Canada for agreeing with our position on the interpretation of this provision,” stated Perry Eisenschmid, Chief Executive Officer of CPhA. “This change will allow pharmacists more time to deliver high quality, accessible care to Canadians. It is also important symbolically as it supports better patient outcomes via the use of technology and innovation in the provision of health care for Canadians.”
“Health Canada’s interpretation, allowing for electronically retained prescriptions, is a welcome change for all Canadian pharmacies and their patients,” stated Denise Carpenter, President & Chief Executive Officer of CACDS. “Retaining paper copies of prescriptions is time-consuming, costly, and an inefficient use of resources that can be re-deployed to front-line services.”
A copy of the Health Canada letter can be downloaded from the following webpage: www.pharmacists.ca/FDAletter
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For more information please contact:
Jeff Morrison
Canadian Pharmacists Association
613-523-7877 ext. 386
jmorrison@pharmacists.ca
Allan McN. Austin
Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores
416-226-9100
aaustin@cacds.com