LICENSURE GATEWAY

NORTH CAROLINA CSRS TO LAUNCH PHARMACY COMPLIANCE PROGRAM ON SEPTEMBER 3, 2025

AUGUST 21, 2025

On September 3rd, 2025, NC DHHS CSRS will begin contacting pharmacies or dispensers with outstanding dispensation errors from the previous quarter in accordance with NC General Statute 90-113.73 (e). Registered NC CSRS users with a dispenser role type receive automated dispensation error notifications based upon dispensation errors associated with their profile Employer DEA. Dispensers receive notifications each day error(s) exists for 30 days. NC DHHS CSRS staff will contact by phone or email pharmacies or dispensers from the previous calendar quarter regarding outstanding errors requiring correction. Failure to correct these errors may result in civil penalties.

Resources are available to assist with error correction. Dispensers may visit the NC DHHS CSRS webpage for the NC Dispensers Guide and NC Veterinary Dispensers Guide.

For questions regarding error correction or for technical assistance, please contact NC DHHS CSRS at nccsrs@dhhs.nc.gov.

GOVERNOR DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY AS HURRICANE ERIN APPROACHES

AUGUST 19, 2025

Governor Stein has declared a state of emergency in anticipation of Hurricane Erin’s impact on North Carolina.
Pharmacists and pharmacies are reminded that the Board of Pharmacy has exercised its authority under G.S. 90-85.25(a) to waive certain requirements of the North Carolina Pharmacy Practice Act to facilitate the provision of patient care during a declared emergency. The Board’s emergency waiver is now in effect for these counties and is found here. The waiver authorizes relocations of pharmacies as needed to provide continuity of care. Certain notifications to the Board are required. The referenced notification email address – emergency@ncbop.org – is open.

Pharmacies that need to adjust operating hours as a result of the hurricane’s impact are not required to report those adjustments under the Board’s emergency closure rule .2516. More info on that rule’s operation is found here.

*AUGUST 21 UPDATE* FLEXIBILITIES FOR BOTH MEDICAID DIRECT AND NC MEDICAID MANAGED CARE.
Medication Prior Approval Overrides due to Hurricane Erin
The potential for severe weather conditions may present situations where NC Medicaid beneficiaries in impacted areas may have difficulty obtaining necessary prior approval for certain medications. Therefore, NC Medicaid enrolled pharmacy providers have been approved to override prior authorization (PA) requirements starting Aug. 19, 2025, to Sept. 2, 2025 (unless otherwise communicated by NCDHHS). This override of prior approval is being allowed to ensure that all NC Medicaid beneficiaries have access to necessary medications. More information is found here.

EMERGENCY REFILL AUTHORIZATION. Board Rule .1815 authorizes pharmacists and DME providers to provide a one-time emergency refill of up to a 90-day supply when the pharmacist or DME provider is unable to obtain refill authorization from the prescriber due to the prescriber’s inability to provide medical services to the patient. This authority was specifically created for times of emergency like those in central North Carolina. Pharmacists and DME providers are encouraged to use it to assist patients in affected counties. The NC Department of Insurance has reminded health benefit plans of compliance requirements for operation under a state of emergency for purposes of obtaining extra prescriptions during a state of emergency or disaster.

CORRECTION TO FAQ GUIDANCE ON PHARMACIST VACCINATION AUTHORITY

AUGUST 12, 2025

Board staff has corrected the FAQ guidance on pharmacist vaccination authority to note that the 12th
Amendment to Declaration Under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act for Medical Countermeasures Against COVID-19 did extend the authority of qualifying pharmacists to order and administer vaccines that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommend to persons ages three through 18 according to CDC’s/ ACIP’s standard immunization schedule. The updated FAQ is found here.

NORTH CAROLINA CLASS C DRIVERS LICENSE EXTENSION AND IDENTIFICATION FOR CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE DISPENSING

JULY 9, 2025

North Carolina law (G.S. 90-106.1) requires that a pharmacy obtain a qualifying identification prior to dispensing certain controlled substances. Full detail on that requirement and its application to various scenarios is found here. With respect to a qualifying identification, the statute requires that it be “valid” and “unexpired.” G.S. 90-106.1(a).

On July 1, 2025, Governor Stein signed into law S.L. 2025-47. Section 18 of that law states: “Notwithstanding . . . any other State law to the contrary, a Class C regular drivers license shall remain valid for purposes of establishing the license holder’s driving privilege for a period of up to two years after its expiration. The section shall not apply to any drivers license that is currently canceled, revoked, or suspended.” The extension applies to “Class C regular drivers licenses that expire on of after [the statute’s effective date of July 1, 2025]” and the extension “expires December 31, 2027.”

Therefore, under the plain language of S.L. 2025-47, any (non-canceled, non-revoked, non-suspended) Class C North Carolina drivers license whose printed expiration date falls on or after July 1, 2025 is “valid” and “unexpired” through December 31, 2027. As such, it may be used for dispensing controlled substances under G.S. 90-106.1 – as well as any other pharmacy activities that require production of a valid, unexpired identification.

NORTH CAROLINA CONFIRMS MEASLES CASE; NC DHHS ISSUES PROVIDER MEMO

june 27, 2025

On June 24, 2025, NC DHHS confirmed the first measles case in North Carolina in 2025. A child who was visiting Forsyth and Guilford counties became ill while visiting from another country where measles outbreaks have been reported. You may have been exposed if you visited one of these Kernersville or Greensboro locations between June 19 and June 22. If you visited one of these locations during that timeframe, review your immunization records or contact your health care provider to make sure you are up to date on the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine.

Prompt recognition, reporting, and investigation of measles cases is important because spread of the disease can be limited with early case identification and vaccination or quarantine of susceptible contacts. Please see this memo on measles reporting, testing, and vaccination. Additional materials for providers will be available in the coming days. Please check the NC DHHS Measles Page for the latest information and materials.

NCDHHS is recommending all unvaccinated people who are 1 year and older receive the measles vaccination to protect themselves and those around them. This contagious disease can lead to serious complications. It's dangerous for babies and children, and during pregnancy. Children who are not vaccinated are at the highest risk.

Go to the Division of Public Health's website to find out more about how to protect yourself and others, and how NCDHHS is preparing for potential outbreaks.

NCDHHS recently launched a Vaccines for Children and Teens webpage to help parents get answers to their questions, understand vaccine requirements and recommendations for schools and child care facilities, and more.

The Vaccines for Children (VFC) program helps eligible families get free vaccines. The VFC webpage includes an interactive provider map to connect families with local providers who offer free childhood vaccines for eligible children and teens.

*ALERT* PHARMACISTS AND PHARMACY PERSONNEL WARNED OF SCAM COMMUNICATIONS PURPORTING TO BE FROM NCBOP STAFF

april 17, 2025

Don’t fall victim to scammers! Pharmacists continue to report receiving calls from individuals purporting to be Board investigators/inspectors. The Board’s telephone number, (919) 246-1050, is often what appears on caller ID. Such calls as of late inform the pharmacist that they are the target of an investigation involving illegal drug activity and the caller sometimes claims to be part of a larger FBI (or SBI, DEA or other agency) investigation. The details and the names of the “investigator” vary, but these calls appear to be an attempt to get the recipient to disclose personal information.

Board staff reminds practitioners that the names of all the Board’s investigators are listed on the NCBOP’s website, and if they are unsure or suspicious when contacted by someone claiming to be a Board staff member (whether by phone, email, or other communication) that they should contact the Board immediately. To be sure, Board staff frequently contact pharmacists and pharmacy staff on all manner of issues. But, again, if you are suspicious about the true identity of the caller, please reach out to the Board office directly.

DEA DELAYS EFFECTIVE DATE OF TWO NEW RULES CONCERNING PRESCRIBING CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES VIA TELEMEDICINE

APRIL 4, 2025

The Drug Enforcement Administration has delayed the effective date of two final rules titled “Expansion of Buprenorphine Treatment via Telemedicine Encounter” and “Continuity of Care via Telemedicine for Veterans Affairs Patients” to December 31, 2025. More information found here: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/03/24/2025-05007/expansion-of-buprenorphine-treatment-via-telemedicine-encounter-and-continuity-of-care-via

As a result of this delay, The Third Temporary Extension of COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Medications (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/11/19/2024-27018/third-temporary-extension-of-covid-19-telemedicine-flexibilities-for-prescription-of-controlled) remains in effect and continues to allow practitioners to prescribe controlled substances via telemedicine through December 31, 2025.