[from the American Medical Association]

Walmart had previously announced that it would require electronic prescribing for controlled substances (EPCS) for all controlled substances as of January 1, 2020, with no exceptions. The AMA and multiple medical societies opposed the mandate, urging a delay due to the likelihood for patient harm and how the Walmart policy did not comport with state or federal law.

We are pleased to report that Walmart said it will delay its EPCS mandate.

"We recognize not all provider networks and prescribers will have the technology and systems in place to accommodate this requirement, so we will continue to take written prescriptions so patients are not unintentionally negatively affected by this process," Walmart spokeswoman Marilee McInnis said in a statement to USA TODAY.

AMA President Patrice A. Harris, MD, MA, provided the following statement to USA Today:

“The AMA welcomes Walmart’s decision to delay implementation of an electronic prescribing mandate that would have resulted in harm to millions of Americans, including many in rural areas who rely on Walmart as the only pharmacy in reasonable distance. The policy, which the AMA urged Walmart to delay, was not developed in consultation with the nation’s physicians, who support electronic prescribing of controlled substances, but want to see it implemented in a manner that supports—rather than disrupts—patient care.”

"The AMA will continue to work with physicians, pharmacists, and other partners in health care to improve medication adherence, including removing barriers that impede physicians from electronically prescribing controlled substances."

The AMA will continue to monitor this development, and it encourages the help of all physicians in sharing this information with state medical and pharmacy boards, as appropriate, to ensure all pharmacies and other stakeholders comply with state law governing the prescribing and dispensing of controlled substances. Maine law requires opioids to be prescribed electronically, unless the prescriber has received a waiver from the Maine Prescription Drug Monitoring Program or fits into one of the few exceptions to the requirement.