REPORTING TO K-TRACS

Pharmacies and their vendors have from now until November 1, 2023, to make these changes. Vendors may implement the changes at any time. K-TRACS will begin monitoring compliance with these required changes on November 1.

Most pharmacies are already reporting sold dates. The point of sale system does not have to be integrated with the dispensing system as long as the dispensing system vendor is able to report a sold date to K-TRACS. The sold date should reflect the date the prescription was sold to the patient or patient representative; the date the prescription was mailed or sent out for delivery; and/or the date the prescription was dispensed from a hospital to the patient or patient representative. The sold date should not be duplicated from the fill/dispense date unless it is reflective of the above definitions.

Pharmacies: Animal prescriptions should be entered into pharmacy systems according to the correct patient and prescription information according to K.S.A. 65-1626.

Vendors: When the information is reported from the pharmacy system to K-TRACS, vendors should ensure the information reflects the following:

• The human/owner's name should be listed as Patient First Name and Patient Last Name
• Use the human/owner's date of birth and address
• Indicate the species code as animal and include the Animal Name in the indicated field
• If the prescriber does not have a DEA number, leave the DEA and NPI fields blank and report the veterinarian's state license number instead

Pharmacy system vendors should report the human information in the patient (PAT) fields with the species code and animal name in PAT 20 and PAT 23, respectively.

Pharmacies will need to submit daily zero reports by November 1, 2023. This aligns with the frequency for submitting dispensations. K.A.R. 68-21-2: “Each dispenser that does not dispense scheduled substances or drugs of concern in Kansas or to an address in Kansas during the reporting period … shall file a zero report with the board. Each zero report shall be filed by the end of the next business day.”

Pharmacies may also request an exemption from reporting requirements if they do not dispense controlled substances or drugs of concern.

The preferred patient identifier is a driver’s license or state-issued ID number. If a driver’s license is not available, the preferred backup is a combination of the patient’s initials and date of birth, i.e., ABC01011980.

Social security numbers should not be submitted as patient identifiers.

All controlled substance prescriptions in schedules II-IV plus five drugs of concern defined in K.A.R. 68-21-7 are required to be reported to K-TRACS. K.S.A. 65-1683 outlines the 16 data elements required to be reported for each prescription.

A “dispenser” is defined in K.S.A. 65-1682 as a “practitioner, pharmacy or pharmacist who delivers a scheduled substance or drug of concern to an ultimate user, but does not include:

• A licensed hospital pharmacy that distributes such substances for the purpose of inpatient hospital care;
• A medical care facility as defined in K.S.A. 65-425, and amendments thereto, practitioner or other authorized person who administers such a substance;
• A registered wholesale distributor of such substances;
• A veterinarian licensed by the Kansas board of veterinary examiners who dispenses or prescribes a scheduled substance or drug of concern; or
• A practitioner who has been exempted from the reporting requirements of this act in rules and regulations promulgated by the board.

An exemption request process is in place for dispensers who do not meet these requirements but also do not dispense controlled substances or drugs of concern in Kansas.

Yes. Pharmacies may request an exemption from reporting requirements using the online exemption request. The pharmacist-in-charge must submit the exemption request. If approved, the exemption must be renewed annually. K-TRACS will notify pharmacies of the renewal period each August.

Each time a pharmacy has a change in pharmacist-in-charge, the new PIC must complete the K-10 Exemption Request Form to recertify the pharmacy's exemption.

K.A.R. 68-21-7 defines drugs of concern as:

• Any product containing all three of these drugs: butalbital, acetaminophen and caffeine;
• Any compound, mixture or preparation that contains any detectable quantity of ephedrine, its salts or optical isomers, or salts of optical isomers and is exempt from being reported to the statewide electronic logging system for the sale of methamphetamine precursors;
• Any compound, mixture or preparation that contains any detectable quantity of pseudoephedrine, its salts or optical isomers, or salts of optical isomers and is exempt from being reported to the statewide electronic logging system for the sale of methamphetamine precursors;
• Promethazine with codeine; and
• Any product, compound, mixture or preparation that contains gabapentin.

Yes, a zero report is required to be submitted by the end of the next business day following a day in which no dispensations occur. Effective November 1, 2023, zero reports must be filed daily instead of every 7 days.

Errors occur in prescriptions reported when missing or incorrect information is submitted. Pharmacists-in-charge (PICs) have access to correct errors by logging into their K-TRACS account, navigating to the Menu, then to Rx Management. Each prescription that contains errors is listed. Missing or incorrect information is highlighted within each prescription and can be corrected and re-submitted by the PIC.

Read: How to Correct Errors

No. A patient's physical address is required to be reported with the dispensation. PO boxes are not acceptable. You can obtain a patient's physical address from their driver's license, state ID or insurance card.

For veterinarians without NPI or DEA numbers, pharmacies should use the veterinarian's four-digit state license number in the state license number field. The DEA and NPI fields should be left blank.

For other types of prescribers without a DEA number, the NPI number should be used.

All controlled substance prescriptions must include a DEA number.

Read: How to Correct Animal Prescription Errors

Animal prescriptions filled in pharmacies should be entered in pharmacy dispensing systems in the following manner:

• Use the animal's name as the patient name
• Use the human/owner's date of birth and address
• Select the patient type or species code as animal or non-human

Data entry at the pharmacy remains unchanged for these prescriptions. However, K-TRACS recommends pharmacy system vendors report the human/owner's information in the patient (PAT) fields in addition to the species code and animal name.

The distinction between human and non-human prescriptions is important for healthcare providers looking up human prescription history to use in their clinical decision-making, as well as in reporting prescription data in aggregate.

Only pharmacists-in-charge are permitted to correct errors within their K-TRACS account. If you are not a PIC, you will not be able to see the error list. If you are a PIC and are unable to see the errors for your pharmacy, contact K-TRACS to update your account information to receive the correct permissions.