...or does every prescription have to be documented or charged for somehow?
2006-10-04 12:24:29 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Other - General Health Care
Yes, they can and do write prescriptions for their friends. The medication itself would still have to be payed for, but there's no reason they can't waive the consultation fee if they like. The charges when you go to a doctor are essentially just for the doctor's time, and to cover the costs of keeping the clinic running (everything from paying administrators to buying rubber gloves). There's no rule that says a doctor can't write a prescription without being payed for his time, and many doctors do volunteer at free clinics and such. The actual medication is never free, but that goes to the pharmacy (and ultimately the company that makes the drug) rather than the doctor.
Doctors can't write prescriptions for themselves, though. The main reason for that is it would make it too easy for them to abuse prescription drugs that way. It has to come from another doctor, so that there's someone to stop them, and it's the responsibility of the prescribing doctor to ensure that the drugs are medically necessary. If it were determined that a doctor were prescribing medications for recreation use, or other inappropriate reasons, he would likely have his medical license revoked, and could potentially face criminal charges as well.
2006-10-04 12:30:04 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
This would go against their professional ethics and standards. Sometimes friends will write a quick prescription for antibiotics or such. Usually the MD wants you to be a patient.
Any prescriptions for narcotics, or controlled drugs are triple tracked and you must be a patient of the MD.
2006-10-04 12:27:19 · answer #2 · answered by Tempest88 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is illegal for a physician to write a prescription for "friends" or relatives. Additionally, physicians have no control over the cost of the prescription. The cost of the prescription would be determined by your insurance and/or the pharmacy.
2006-10-04 12:32:06 · answer #3 · answered by nljth123 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Not all prescription drugs are given with prescriptions. Doctors can provide patients (or friends or family members) with free samples of drugs. That's the whole point of pharm companies giving doctors new drugs -- they want doctors to try them out.
However, the "fun" drugs (your schedule 2s and 3s) are never given as freebies. Their distribution is monitored. If a doc Rx's too many doses of Oxycontin, the Feds will be knocking on his door soon enough.
With that said, my dad is a surgeon. He writes me prescriptions for my allergy meds so I don't have to go see the doctor on my HMO. Sometimes, he will give me packets of sample allergy meds so I don't even need to go to the pharmacy. Yes, I get freebies.
2006-10-04 12:33:00 · answer #4 · answered by Gumdrop Girl 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe prescriptions could be written for free, but it is unethical to get a prescription for something you don't need.
2006-10-04 12:27:58 · answer #5 · answered by randella_24 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋