(a) An attending physician may not prescribe or dispense a covered medication, unless:

(1) The patient has satisfied the requirements of §§ 7-661.02 and 7-661.04, if applicable;

(2) The attending physician has satisfied the requirements of §§ 7-661.03 and 7-661.04, if applicable; and

(3) The attending physician has offered the patient an opportunity to rescind his or her request for a covered medication immediately before prescribing or dispensing the covered medication.

(b) After the attending physician ensures that the requirements provided in subsection (a) of this section have been met, the attending physician may:

(1) Dispense a covered medication, including ancillary medications intended to minimize the patient's discomfort, directly to the qualified patient; provided, that the attending physician is authorized to do so in § 48-903.02 and has a current Drug Enforcement Administration certificate issued pursuant to 21 C.F.R. § 1301.35; or

(2) After a qualified patient completes the form under § 7-661.02(c):

(A) Contact a pharmacist and inform the pharmacist of the prescription for a covered medication; and

(B) Deliver the written prescription for a covered medication personally, or by telephone, facsimile, or electronically to the pharmacist.

(c) Upon receiving a written prescription for a covered medication by an attending physician under subsection (b)(2) of this section, the pharmacist may dispense the covered medication to the following:

(A) The patient;

(B) The attending physician; or

(C) An expressly identified agent designated by the qualified patient, with the designation communicated to the pharmacist by the patient verbally or in writing.

(d) A pharmacist, upon dispensing a covered medication under subsection (c) of this section, shall immediately notify the attending physician that the covered medication was dispensed.

(e) Within 30 days after a health care provider dispenses a covered medication, the attending physician shall file with the Department a copy of the information required by § 7-661.06 on a form created by the Department.

(f) Within 30 days after a patient ingests a covered medication, or as soon as practicable after the a health care provider is made aware of a patient's death resulting from ingesting the covered medication, the health care provider shall notify the Department of a patient's death.

(g) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the attending physician may sign the patient's death certificate.

(h) The cause of death listed on a death certificate shall identify the qualified patient's underlying medical condition consistent with the International Classification of Diseases without reference to the fact that the qualified patient ingested a covered medication.

(i)(1) The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner shall review each death involving a qualified patient who ingests a covered medication and, if warranted by the review, may conduct an investigation.

(2) The review required by paragraph (1) of this subsection shall not constitute an inquiry for the purposes of § 7-211; provided, that an investigation authorized by paragraph (1) of this subsection shall constitute an inquiry for the purposes of Chapter 2 of this title.

(Feb. 18, 2017, D.C. Law 21-182, § 6, 63 DCR 15697.)

Section 7018 of D.C. Law 22-33 repealed § 18 of D.C. Law 21-182. Therefore the creation of this section by D.C. Law 21-182 has been implemented.

A certification dated June 6, 2017, that the fiscal effect of the Death with Dignity Act of 2016, D.C. Law 21-182, has been included in an approved budget and financial plan was published in the D.C. Register on June 16, 2017 (64 DCR 5670). Therefore the creation of this section by that amendment has been implemented.

Applicability of D.C. Law 21-182: § 18 of D.C. Law 21-182 provided that the creation of this section by § 6 of D.C. Law 21-182 is subject to the inclusion of the law’s fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan. Therefore that amendment has not been implemented.

For temporary (90 days) repeal of § 18 of D.C. Law 21-182, see § 7018 of Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Support Congressional Review Emergency Act of 2017 (D.C. Act 22-167, Oct. 24, 2017, 64 DCR 10802).

For temporary (90 days) repeal of § 18 of D.C. Law 21-182, see § 7018 of Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Support Emergency Act of 2017 (D.C. Act 22-104, July 20, 2017, 64 DCR 7032).