Replies to post #19 on EQUITIES Rx (VIPPS INDEX) For 2011

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Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS) Facts

Since its inception in 1999 by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS) accreditation program has become the most trusted and respected means for the public to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate online drug sellers.

The VIPPS program and its seal of approval assure the public that VIPPS retailers are legitimate online pharmacies appropriately licensed in each state to which they ship pharmaceuticals. Additionally, VIPPS retailers have successfully completed a rigorous 19-point criteria review and on-site survey. It is the only verification program supported by the Food and Drug Administration and Drug Enforcement Administration.

The VIPPS program is unique in that no other accreditation or verification program for online drug sellers covers as many areas as VIPPS, or does so as thoroughly. It is this criteria, and how it was developed, that sets the VIPPS program apart.

The Industry’s Toughest Standards
An online pharmacy must demonstrate compliance with a stringent set of criteria to qualify for VIPPS accreditation. Along with verification that the pharmacy is licensed in good standing by state boards, the VIPPS criteria includes questions in 19 Internet and practice-based areas, including:

how the patient’s or caregiver’s identity is verified
patient medication consultation
the steps that are taken to ensure the patient’s confidentiality
how medications are dispensed
how controlled substance medications are secured and tracked when shipped to the patient.
The VIPPS program was developed by a coalition of state and federal regulatory associations, professional associations, and consumer advocacy groups. Because NABP accredits the online pharmacies based on criteria defined by regulators, consumers, and pharmacists, the public can rely on the VIPPS Seal to be assured that each patient receives the best in online pharmacy care. Currently, 15 pharmacy sites representing more than 12,000 pharmacies carry the VIPPS seal. Visit www.vipps.info to see the complete listing of VIPPS online pharmacies.
http://www.safemedicines.org/vipps.html