EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Supervalu Pharmacies is the nation’s first retail pharmacy chain to be approved to accept electronic prescriptions for controlled substances, according to Supervalu Inc.
The food and drug retailer said Thursday that its Shoppers Pharmacy and Farm Fresh Pharmacy banners in Virginia and its Albertsons/Sav-On Pharmacy banner in southern California are its first pharmacies to accept e-prescriptions for controlled substances.
Plans call for all Supervalu pharmacies to be able to accept e-prescriptions for controlled substances in the coming weeks, the company reported. The supermarket operator’s other pharmacy banners include Acme/Sav-On Pharmacy, Cub Pharmacy, Jewel-Osco Pharmacy, Shaw’s/Osco Pharmacy, Shop ‘n Save Pharmacy and Shop ‘n Save Osco Pharmacy.
"Supervalu Pharmacies are pleased to provide this added level of service and convenience of e-prescriptions for our patients who require prescriptions of controlled substances," Chris Dimos, president of Supervalu Pharmacies, said in a statement. "This capability is another way our pharmacists combine technology and personal service to decrease our customers’ wait times for prescriptions."
Controlled substances are drugs or other substances regulated under federal law depending on medical use, potential for abuse and addictiveness. According to Supervalu, doctors have been able to electronically send prescriptions for noncontrolled medications for eight years, and this new e-prescribing capability offers added convenience to pharmacy patients who need prescriptions for controlled substances.
Now, instead of bringing in a hand-written prescription, any prescriber who possesses e-prescribing capabilities and is certified to e-prescribe controlled substances can submit their patients’ controlled substance prescriptions straight to a Supervalu pharmacy. Some states, though, limit the types of controlled substances that can be prescribed via electronic transmission.
"E-prescriptions are especially convenient for patients with multiple prescriptions for controlled and non-controlled substances," noted Dimos. "Now all these prescriptions can be electronically issued at one time and promptly filled, requiring no additional paperwork or waiting."
Supervalu said all pharmacies must undergo a credentialing process to accept e-prescriptions for controlled substances. The security and regulatory requirements are administered by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Supervalu’s retail network encompasses 4,290 stores, including 1,107 traditional retail supermarkets, 801 of which have in-store pharmacies, along with 1,283 hard discount stores (907 operated by licensee owners) and 1,900 independent stores served mainly by the company’s food distribution business.
