What is one requirement for pharmacies to perform centralized prescription processing services?

For pharmacies to engage in centralized prescription processing services, one key requirement is that they must share the same owner or management. This requirement ensures that the pharmacies are under a single operational oversight, which helps maintain consistent standards for patient care, compliance with regulations, and quality assurance across the centralized operations.

When pharmacies share ownership or management, it fosters collaborative practices, integration of systems, and better communication, which are essential for effective centralized processing. Such alignment helps streamline workflows, manage inventory efficiently, and enhance the overall patient experience while ensuring that all medications are dispensed safely and accurately.

The other options do not address the regulatory framework necessary for centralized prescription processing. For example, pharmacies do not need to be in the same physical location or share a physical storage area, nor do they need to utilize handwritten prescriptions, as modern practices often involve electronic methods for processing prescriptions.