Illinois has an electronic prescribing mandate for controlled substances, but veterinarians are currently exempt from the requirement.
The reason highlights a challenge that extends well beyond Illinois. Veterinary medicine has not historically had access to the same ePrescribing infrastructure and pharmacy connectivity that has been available across human healthcare.
That made electronic prescribing requirements difficult to apply to veterinarians. But the technology landscape is beginning to change.
Veterinary ePrescribing is expanding, practice software is becoming more connected, and new electronic pathways are being built between veterinarians and pharmacies.
As those barriers begin to disappear, an interesting question emerges:
What happens to veterinary ePrescribing mandates when the infrastructure needed to support them finally exists?
Illinois Gives Us a Glimpse of the Bigger Question
Illinois offers an interesting example of the gap between regulation and technology.
Under the Illinois Controlled Substances Act, prescriptions for Schedule II, III, IV, and V controlled substances generally must be transmitted electronically.
Licensed veterinarians, however, were given an exception.
The original exception applied for two years following November 17, 2023. In 2025, Illinois lawmakers extended that period from two years to seven years.
Illinois isn't proof that veterinary ePrescribing mandates are coming.
It does, however, highlight something important:
Sometimes regulation has to account for what technology can realistically support.
And veterinary medicine has historically faced some very real technology limitations.
Why Has Veterinary Medicine Been Different?
An ePrescribing mandate sounds simple.
Send the prescription electronically.
But a lot has to happen behind the scenes for that to work.
The veterinarian needs a system capable of creating and transmitting the prescription. The practice software needs to support the workflow. A secure network needs to carry the prescription. And the pharmacy needs to be able to receive and process it.
Controlled substances add another layer through Electronic Prescribing for Controlled Substances, or EPCS, which carries additional federal security, identity, and authentication requirements.
Human healthcare has spent decades connecting those pieces.
Veterinary medicine hasn't had the same level of connectivity.
A mandate only works if veterinarians actually have access to the technology needed to comply with it.
If those pieces don't connect, an electronic prescribing requirement may work on paper but become much harder to execute in the real world.
That's part of what has made veterinary medicine different.
But the Missing Connections Are Being Built
This is where the story starts to change.
Piece by piece, veterinary prescribing is becoming more connected.
Cloud-based practice management systems continue to grow. Veterinary ePrescribing platforms are emerging. Practice software can increasingly connect with outside prescribing technology. Pharmacy networks are creating electronic connections between veterinarians and pharmacies that didn't previously exist.
And those connections matter for more than simply sending a prescription.
Veterinary prescribing can be complicated.
A veterinarian may need to navigate standard medications, controlled substances, compounded formulations, specialty medications, different strengths and dosage forms, and complex formularies.
For ePrescribing to work for veterinary medicine, the technology has to understand that complexity without passing it along to the veterinarian.
We're not at a point where every veterinarian can electronically reach every pharmacy through one seamless workflow.
There's still work to do.
But the technology gap is getting smaller.
That's Where the Regulatory Question Gets Interesting
If part of the reason for an exemption is that the necessary technology isn't widely available, what happens when it is?
Does the exemption remain?
Does the law eventually change?
Or does widespread adoption happen on its own because ePrescribing simply becomes the easier way to prescribe?
Each state may ultimately take a different approach. But as access to veterinary ePrescribing expands, one of the practical barriers that helped shape these exemptions begins to look very different.
And that changes the regulatory conversation.
The existence of better technology doesn't automatically mean states will, or should, mandate veterinary ePrescribing.
Those are decisions for lawmakers, regulators, veterinarians, pharmacies, and other industry stakeholders.
But better technology can change the circumstances surrounding those decisions.
Today, one question may be:
Can veterinarians reasonably comply with electronic prescribing requirements?
As connectivity expands, the question could eventually become:
If veterinarians have access to the technology, should veterinary prescriptions continue to be treated differently?
That's a very different conversation.
Maybe the Bigger Story Isn't the Mandate
There's another possibility worth considering.
Maybe the more interesting question isn't whether veterinarians will eventually have to ePrescribe.
It's whether the technology becomes good enough that they want to.
The strongest case for veterinary ePrescribing isn't regulation.
It's a better prescribing experience.
A connected prescribing workflow can create a more direct path between the veterinarian and the pharmacy. It can support structured prescription information, simplify complex formularies, and reduce the number of disconnected steps involved in getting a prescription where it needs to go.
Those benefits don't depend on a mandate.
They exist whether ePrescribing is required or completely voluntary.
And ideally, that's how technology should evolve.
Make the better workflow the easier workflow.
Where VetWay Fits Into the Conversation
That's the side of this equation we're focused on at VetWay.
We're not here to decide where regulation goes.
We're focused on removing the technology barriers that have made electronic prescribing more difficult in veterinary medicine.
That means supporting the complexity of veterinary formularies while keeping the prescribing experience simple. It means connecting veterinary practices with the broader pharmacy ecosystem. And through VetWay and Script Exchange, it means building a more connected path for prescriptions to move electronically from the veterinarian to the pharmacy.
Whether veterinary ePrescribing is required by law isn't what determines the value of that infrastructure.
If it makes prescribing easier for veterinarians and creates a more connected experience between practices and pharmacies, there's a reason to build it regardless.
What Happens Next?
The regulatory landscape around veterinary ePrescribing will continue to evolve state by state, shaped by lawmakers, regulators, veterinarians, pharmacies, and the technology available to support it.
But one part of that equation is already changing.
The technology landscape that helped shape today's veterinary ePrescribing exemptions is beginning to look very different.
Illinois offers one example of what happens when regulation encounters a veterinary technology ecosystem that isn't fully equipped to support it.
Now, as ePrescribing technology expands and more connections are built between veterinary practices and pharmacies, one of the barriers that influenced those decisions is beginning to shrink.
That doesn't determine what regulation should look like.
It changes what is possible.
And as veterinary medicine becomes more connected, the conversation around ePrescribing requirements and exemptions is likely to evolve with it.
That’s a conversation worth watching.Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Are veterinarians required to ePrescribe?
Veterinary ePrescribing requirements vary by state. Some states have electronic prescribing requirements that exempt veterinarians, while others apply different rules depending on the medication and prescribing situation. Veterinarians should follow the requirements applicable in the states where they practice.
Why are veterinarians exempt from some ePrescribing laws?
Veterinary medicine has historically lacked the same widespread electronic prescribing and pharmacy connectivity available in human healthcare. States may also consider the unique technology, prescribing patterns, and workflows used by veterinary practices when establishing exemptions.
Does Illinois require veterinarians to ePrescribe controlled substances?
Illinois generally requires prescriptions for Schedule II through V controlled substances to be transmitted electronically, but licensed veterinarians currently have a statutory exception to that requirement.
What is EPCS for veterinarians?
Electronic Prescribing for Controlled Substances, or EPCS, enables eligible controlled substance prescriptions to be transmitted electronically using systems that meet applicable federal security, identity, and authentication requirements.
Could veterinary ePrescribing mandates change in the future?
Yes. Laws can change as technology, healthcare practices, and policy priorities evolve. Whether states change existing veterinary exemptions will ultimately be a decision for lawmakers and regulators. Expanding veterinary ePrescribing infrastructure could, however, change the circumstances surrounding those discussions.