Allowed
Note: PharmaLink has compiled the information below for reference only. State dispensing regulations change frequently and we recommend consulting an attorney or your state medical or pharmacy board with specific questions or to verify your eligibility to dispense.
Indiana’s requirements vary depending on whether controlled substances are involved. If you wish to dispense controls, you must also register each location with the state and comply with continuing education requirements.
Controlled Substance Registration
To prescribe, administer, or dispense controlled substances in Indiana, a physician must obtain a Controlled Substance Registration (CSR) from the Indiana Board of Pharmacy through the Professional Licensing Agency. The practitioner must hold both the Indiana CSR and a federal DEA registration, unless exempted under 856 IAC 2-3-5(b) or 856 IAC 2-3-6.
Applicants may seek authorization for Schedules II through V. Schedule I substances have no accepted medical use and are generally restricted to researchers.
One registration per location
A separate registration is required for each location where a practitioner administers, stores, or dispenses controlled substances, unless the practitioner does so under a facility’s CSR. A group opening a second or third site cannot extend a single registration across them, and the registration needs to be in place before controls are stored at the new address.
Opioid continuing education
MDs and DOs applying for registration or re-registration to dispense controlled substances must have completed two hours of continuing education during the previous two years on opioid prescribing and opioid abuse. Because it attaches to re-registration as well as initial registration, this is a recurring condition rather than a one-time hurdle.
INSPECT reporting
All controlled substances dispensed must be reported to INSPECT, Indiana’s prescription monitoring program, within 24 hours, or by the close of the next business day where the dispenser is closed the day after dispensing. Submissions must occur every 24 hours, and a facility dispensing no controlled substance prescriptions on a given day must still submit a zero report. PharmaLink’s software submits for you automatically, including the zero reports due on days you dispense nothing at all.
Failure to submit data, or a zero report in place of data, in a complete and timely manner may result in disciplinary action by the Indiana Board of Pharmacy or a personal appearance before the Board. Indiana treats reporting lapses as a licensing matter, not a clerical one.
Dispensing in Indiana with PharmaLink
Dispensing medications to your patients offers meaningful benefits: additional practice revenue, better medication adherence, greater convenience for patients, and fewer pharmacy callbacks for your staff. PharmaLink provides the dispensing software, equipment, and support — so most practices can start dispensing within days of completing their application. PharmaLink does not sell, source, or ship medications; your practice purchases those directly from suppliers you select, under your own licenses.
- Cash & carry dispensing — patients pay at the point of care with transparent pricing.
- Workers' comp dispensing — treat injured workers, with claim data captured for your billing partner.
- Private insurance dispensing — adjudicate claims to your patients' insurance plans.
- Mail order & home delivery — send prescriptions to a fulfillment pharmacy that ships directly to your patients.
If you plan to dispense controlled substances, PharmaLink's software automatically reports to state PDMPs in all states where we operate.