Physicians who order for and deliver a controlled substance to a patient in the office are required to register with the Board as Dispensing Physicians.  This requirement does not apply to legend drugs.

• Who Is and Is Not a Dispensing Physician?
• Registration as a Dispensing Physician
• Prescription Drug Monitoring Database (PDMP)
• Fines for Not Registering or Reporting as Required

Who is a Dispensing Physician?

• Orders for and delivers a controlled substance to a patient.
• Patient consumes the medication off the premises.
• Does not matter whether patient pays for medication or not.
• Medications that are labeled as samples and are not for resale are excluded.

Who is not a Dispensing Physician?

• Distributes prepackaged samples and starter packs.
• Administers oral or injectable controlled substances in the office.
• Dispenses non-controlled substances.
• Dispenses controlled substances purchased with hospital's or clinic's DEA registration.

Registration as a Dispensing Physician

• Pursuant to Board of Medical Examiners Rule 540-X-4-.05, dispensing physicians are required to register with the Board. 
• Registration is accomplished by completing and returning the dispensing physician registration form.

Complete the form and return via email to the Dispensing Physician Coordinator 

OR mail to:

Attn: Dispensing Physician Registration
PO Box 946, Montgomery AL 36101-0946. 

There is no fee for this registration.

• Every location where medications are dispensed must be registered and the separate DEA numbers listed.
• Physicians are responsible for updating address changes, additional sites, additional DEA numbers, and removal of sites.
• Do not submit a dispensing registration form if you do not purchase controlled substances (other than prepackaged samples and starter packs) to be dispensed to your patients. Doing so may result in false information being provided to the Alabama Department of Public Health's Prescription Drug Monitoring Data Bank and may result in an unnecessary investigation into your practice.

Prescription Drug Monitoring Database (PDMP)

• Dept. of Public Health and Board rules require physicians who dispense controlled substances to report to the PDMP. 
• See the Health Department's web page for the Prescription Drug Monitoring Database

Fines for Not Registering or Reporting as Required

 Board administrative rules allow the Board to assess administrative fines against:

• Physicians who act as dispensing physicians but are not registered as such with the Board of Medical Examiners
• Physicians who fail to report to the database as required by the Health Department and Board rules.