21 CFR §1311.140
Verified against eCFR.gov as of June 20, 2026View official text on eCFR.gov ↗
- (a)For a practitioner to sign an electronic prescription for a controlled substance the following must occur:
- (1)The practitioner must access a list of one or more controlled substance prescriptions for a single patient. The list must display the information required by § 1311.120(b)(9).
- (2)The practitioner must indicate the prescriptions that are ready to be signed.
- (3)While the prescription information required in § 1311.120(b)(9) is displayed, the following statement or its substantial equivalent is displayed: “By completing the two-factor authentication protocol at this time, you are legally signing the prescription(s) and authorizing the transmission of the above information to the pharmacy for dispensing. The two-factor authentication protocol may only be completed by the practitioner whose name and DEA registration number appear above.”
- (4)While the prescription information required in § 1311.120(b)(9) and the statement required by paragraph (a)(3) of this section remain displayed, the practitioner must be prompted to complete the two-factor authentication protocol.
- (5)The completion by the practitioner of the two-factor authentication protocol in the manner provided in paragraph (a)(4) of this section will constitute the signing of the prescription by the practitioner for purposes of § 1306.05(a) and (e) of this chapter.
- (6)Except as provided under § 1311.145, the practitioner's completion of the two-factor authentication protocol must cause the application to digitally sign and electronically archive the information required under part 1306 of this chapter.
- (b)The electronic prescription application must clearly label as the signing function the function that prompts the practitioner to execute the two-factor authentication protocol using his credential.
- (c)Any prescription not signed in the manner required by this section shall not be transmitted.