That is, in plain and simple terms, wrong. There is *nothing* in ferderal prescription dispensing guidelines that says CII meds can only be prescribed with a face to face meeting.

OPs don't prescribe CIIs because of the hassle and scruitny that CII prescribing entails. Some (but not all) states require CII's to be written on "triplicate" scripts. CIIs are much more closely monitored and controlled by state and federal agencies than CIII - V meds. And CII scripts can't have refills. All this makes prescribing CIIs a pain in the a$$--which is why OPs (and many "regular" MDs) avoid them.

There are a lot of misconceptions about prescribing CIIs out there. But there is no law that says they can only be prescribed with a face-to-face meeting. I've had CIIs prescribed by a doctor that had no idea who I was, nor had they ever laid eyes on me (an orthopedic surgeon covering for my surgeon in his off hours), and I've had CIIs called into a pharmacy (granted, it was for a small "emergency" amount). In neither of these cases was there any face-to-face meeting. I've also had PAs who did not have CII priveleges meet and evaluate me, only to have the MD in the office actually sign the script.

Please provide a reference that details what exactly qualifies for "writing too many prescriptions". Sure, any doctor can be investigated and have their license suspended/revoked for writing too many prescriptions. And due to additional monitoring of CIIs, it's more likely with them than for other scheduled drugs. But to say someone prescribing CIIs through an OP would be "shut down the day he opens" is ludicrous.