Our services are available through remote delivery. We are available to assist customers through our online public portal at EBIZ.MT.GOV/POL (Professional and Occupational Licenses) and EBIZ.MT.GOV (for Permits). For other services, please contact us via email at DLIBSDWEBHELP@MT.GOV or by phone (406) 841-2300.
What is the purpose of the application?
The new Medical Practitioner Dispenser application through the Board of Pharmacy is available for medical practitioners who want to dispense prescription medications, within their scope of practice, directly to their own patients from their medical office or practice location in Montana, with the intent that patients take medications home and NOT have the prescription filled at a pharmacy. Instructions on how to apply are below under “Instructions.” Please read and understand the criteria below for this application to see if you qualify first.
This registration is NOT related to or needed for the following criteria:
Who is eligible to apply?
Physicians, Dentists, Optometrists, Podiatrists, Physician Assistants, and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) with Prescriptive Authority are eligible to apply. You must be located in Montana. See 37-2-101(7), MCA, for more information.
Why is there a new registration?
The Montana Board of Pharmacy is implementing a new dispenser registration based on Senate Bill 374 (2021), dispensing of drugs by medical practitioners, that was enacted into law during the 2021 Montana Legislative Session.
Please see the eligibility questions below for the application to see if you qualify:
1 - Is your medical office or practice location physically located in the State of Montana?
If no – You do not need to apply. You must have a physical dispensing location in the State of Montana to qualify for this license.
2 - Do you only write prescriptions for your patients to be filled at a pharmacy?
If yes – You do not need to apply. This registration is not needed for providing prescriptions to be filled at a pharmacy.
3 - Do you only provide drug samples to your patients from your practice location and/or is your dispensing limited to providing drug samples?
If yes – You do not need to apply. This registration is not needed for providing drug samples directly to your patients.
4 - Do you plan to dispense prescription medications directly to your patients from your medical office or practice location and NOT have the patient fill a prescription at a pharmacy?
If no - You do not need to apply. This registration is intended only for medical practitioners who dispense from their practice locations.
Instructions for how to apply
Visit our online portal at EBIZ.MT.GOV/POL. Click “Start a New License Application.” Choose “New Health Care License.” Then select “Pharmacy.” Then select the “Medical Practitioner Dispenser Application” and complete your application.
Statutes and Rules
Registrants must comply with dispensing authority requirements outlined in statute and rule:
For more information, please see this FAQ.
The Board of Pharmacy makes every effort to include on this web site all relevant information pertaining to the licensing and regulation of the following license types:
The Board of Pharmacy finalized rule changes pursuant to MAR 24-174-74, amending various pharmacy rule, effective November 20, 2021. A summary of the amended rules reflects the changes published in the following Administrative Rules of Montana (ARM):
The Board of Pharmacy issued a proposed rule, MAR 24-174-78, to remove the 1:4 pharmacist to pharmacy technician ratio, provide for certain pharmacist-in-charge authority for staffing, and allow for licensees authorized to administer vaccines in their own scope of practice to assist pharmacists with vaccine administration. The comment deadline February 11, 2022.
The Board’s emergency rule, MAR 24-174-77, expired on January 11, 2022, and had removed the pharmacist to technician ratio for purposes of administering vaccines and tests, pursuant to federal authority, and allowed for similar use of other authorized licensees to assist in vaccine administration. The emergency provisions are no longer effective and the pharmacist to technician ratio is 1:4, as listed in ARM 24.174.711.
Effective July 1, 2019, any Wholesale Drug Distributor who distributes the initial sale of opioids in Montana is required to have a separate OPIOID SELLER’S LICENSE through the Montana Department of Revenue, pursuant to House Bill 654 (2019), as outlined in 15-64-1001 through 1002, MCA.
For information on the Opioid Seller’s License requirements and how to apply, click here.
