FAQs

As of October 1, 2008, all Medicaid prescriptions must contain at least one tamper-resistant security feature from three categories as defined by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services. Those categories include (1) feature(s) designed to prevent unauthorized copying of a prescription, (2) feature(s) designed to prevent the erasure or modification of information written on a prescription, and (3) feature(s) designed to prevent the use of counterfeit prescription forms. For more information, visit our SecureGuard resource site.

A two-part prescription pad is a multi-part pad with a carbonless copy. Part 1 is blue and is a secure prescription. Part 2 is the file copy in yellow. In Indiana, part 2 is white.

Our prescriptions meet all the Medicare and Medicaid requirements for each state, based on the individual state's guidelines set forth in their laws. In Texas, for example, the paper needs to be purchased from the state.

No, prescription paper may only be ordered by doctors, healthcare professionals and medical clinics. Any attempt to purchase prescription paper by an unauthorized person or persons providing falsified information will be reported to the proper authorities for prosecution to the full extent of the law.

Yes, SecureGuard prescription paper products meet and exceed the FDA recommendations for prescribing controlled substance prescriptions. 

The reason "Hidden Message Technology" works on some copiers and not others is the way the various patented processes for printing this technology work. The words are hidden in the background. If you look at the background with a magnifying glass, you will see the hidden words. When the light from the copier hits the background, the change in the background around the hidden words causes the words to appear. As copier technology has improved, some copiers look past the changes in the background. For example, you can take a digital photo of the sheet and you will now have a copy without any of the hidden words showing. This is similar to the way a digital copier works. It is the nature of the technology. This is the reason you need to have layer on layer of security to truly protect a document.

To be considered tamper-resistant, a prescription pad must contain at least one security feature in each of the three categories as specified by CMS.

The statute states that all written prescriptions must be "executed on a tamper- resistant pad" (paper). As a result, if a feature is added to the prescription after it is printed it does not meet the requirement of the statute. Features that would make the prescription tamper-resistant include certain types of paper as well as certain items that can be pre-printed on the paper.

SecureGuard RX503T-2PT pre-collated prescription paper and CB stock is manufactured using special formulated carbonless paper. The paper is designed for use with both "NCR Fan-A-Part" compound and padding glue.

When a doctor writes a prescription, it is written using an ink or ball point pen, not a pencil. When trying to remove information written on a prescription using an ink eraser, a small amount of the background color is removed with the ink. Thus, it becomes obvious that a change was made to the prescription.

There are two types of Security Features - "overt" and "covert". For detailed information on both types of features visit our Document Security Feature web page. 

Micro Format is an approved supplier of prescription paper products in every state in which specific requirements have been legislated. Special features and/or layout is required but not limited to the following states:

• California
• Florida
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Massachusetts
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• New Jersey
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• Texas
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wyoming

The reason "Hidden Message" technology works is because the message is actually hidden in the printed background. If you view the background under a magnifying glass, you will see the words as the dot and/or line pattern changes. Thus this technology requires a printed colored background to hide the message. For this reason, it is not possible to hide a message on a "white" sheet of paper.

A message can be hidden in the paper's watermark. However, this message is only visible when viewing the sheet when it is held up to a light source. This is an excellent feature that is used to identify an original sheet from a copy. Watermark technology is a security feature that is incorporated into a number of our document security papers.

The following is an excerpt from the August 2007 letter sent to all State Medicaid Directors; "States are free to exceed the above baseline standard as to what constitutes a tamper-resistant prescription pad. States should make their own determination whether to allow pharmacists to accept an out-of-state prescription that meets the tamper-resistant requirements of another state. Several states have laws and regulations concerning mandatory, tamper-resistant prescription pad programs, which were in effect prior to the passage of section 7002(b). CMS deems that tamper-resistant prescription pad characteristics required by these states' laws and regulations meet or exceed the baseline standard, as set forth above."

Medicaid is a government program. Thus, the government has the right to determine the rules for this program. Requiring that Medicaid prescriptions must be on tamper-resistant paper falls under the regulations for participation in the Medicaid program. However, when it comes to the method used to prescribe medications, state licensure systems that grant physicians the exclusive right to prescribe and pharmacists the exclusive right to dispense prescription medication are protected under Article X of the United States Constitution. Historically, under Article X of the U.S. Constitution, states have the authority to regulate activities that affect the health, safety and welfare of their citizens. In 1889, state licensure systems that granted physicians the exclusive right to prescribe and pharmacists the exclusive right to dispense prescription medication were tested and found valid. In Dent v. West Virginia, 129 U.S. 114 (1889), the Supreme Court denied a due process challenge to a West Virginia medical practice act that required state licensure of physicians. Thus, any regulations as they relate to how physicians prescribe and how pharmacists dispense prescription medication are the responsibility of the states.

All information that will appear on the prescription pads needs to be in the imprint information area of the order form. Always include any licensing you'd like printed because if the state you are prescribing in does not require it, we will not automatically print it.

Please use 9's in that area, 10 of them. Example: 9999999999

There will be separate fields for each of these in the order form. If we are printing more than one provider on the prescription form, only use the primary provider for these fields and then include all other providers' information in the imprint area.

Depending on the state, we can usually fit up to 3 or 4 providers including your practice's name. We can also back print on the forms for an additional fee, if we need to. This will allow for many providers on one prescription pad. Please call for pricing on this.

We can only ship to the home address if that's the address your license is registered to with the state. We only ship prescription paper to a provider's address that is on file with their state. In most cases, that is their practice location. Some exceptions can be made on a case by case basis.

All of our prescription forms are available in blue. We do offer green in our Full Sheet RX503 and RX502-P2 (perforated in half) laser prescription forms.

We do not recommend using your practice's logo because there are many states that prohibit it. But, as long as it is allowed in your state and you can provide us with clean, useable artwork, we can include your logo on the prescription paper.

No, we do not ship to APO or FPO addresses.

Effective April 19, 2006, all prescriptions (both for controlled substances and non-controlled substances) written in New York must be issued on an official New York State prescription form. All practitioners must obtain prescription forms from the New York Department of Health. There are no approved prescription paper printers in the state of New York. Under the new law, New York pharmacies are required to submit data to the New York State Department of Health. They are required to submit specific information from prescriptions dispensed for all controlled substances. The New York Department of Health will monitor this data.