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.
Maryland has the highest entry cost of any dispensing state, which makes the decision to dispense there a genuine capital question rather than a procedural one.
The dispensing permit
Physicians who wish to dispense medications in Maryland must first obtain a dispensing permit from the Maryland Board of Physicians and pay a fee, currently $1,050.
That figure is an order of magnitude above the typical state registration, which commonly runs between nothing and a few hundred dollars. It does not make dispensing uneconomic — the permit is a one-time entry cost measured against ongoing dispensing revenue — but it does mean a Maryland practice should size its expected volume before applying rather than after.
Display and recordkeeping
Maryland requires dispensing physicians to display their dispensing permit at the location where prescription drugs are being dispensed, and to follow specific labeling and recordkeeping requirements.
The display requirement is easy to overlook and trivially easy to satisfy — but it is a visible item at inspection, and its absence signals a practice that has not read the rules.
For more information, the Maryland Board of Physicians has provided a Drug Dispensing F.A.Q. page. You may also find information about the drug dispensing permit here.
PDMP reporting
Maryland requires non-exempt dispensers of controlled dangerous substances to report to the PDMP at least once every 24 hours. This tightened from a three-business-day window as of October 1, 2016, so older guidance materially understates the current obligation.
Reporting covers Schedule II through V medications. Dispensers of controlled substances must also report naloxone dispensing, which Maryland collects for public health surveillance and planning.
Dispensing in Maryland 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.