US physicians "not prepared" for new Rx rules

Physicians are not prepared for a new prescribing regulation, involving the use of tamper resistant pads, which comes into effect on October 1.

A provision inserted into the recent Iraq war spending bill by the US Congress could cause "a nasty surprise" for "millions of Medicaid patients and their pharmacists," according to the Associated Press.

Paul Kelly, vice president of government affairs for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, said: "our members are absolutely flabbergasted that they're going to be put on the hook for denying prescriptions if something is not on a tamper-proof pad."