National E-prescribing Conference

This meeting is sold out. I plan on attending. Anyone using E-prescribing already have any issues that I should inquire about?

I understand that once one pharmacy knows you are online, they somehow all know, an electronic switch is flipped and all communication moving forward is electronic.

Some states do not allow e-prescribing of controlled substances. Any other issues?

Can/should techs be allowed to answer pharmacies electronically? The doctors in my group almost never get on the phone to order or refill an Rx. Does e-prescribing change that?

Paul

E-prescribing is a hot topic in medicine. As part of the due diligence for our software, we have been working to delineate our plans for our customers to be able to use an e-prescribing source. One system, Maximeyes, already works with a source although I have no direct knowledge of how they have integrated that source.

You can use an e-prescribing stand-alone solution, paying as you go. Many EMRs have integrated with e-prescribing sources, and then those sources are "certified" by a nationally recognized entity. Most commonly that is a group called SureScripts. They oversee the Rx stream to the pharmacy from a doctor and the EMR, and they are the route back for returned information about drug information. They have partnered/aligned with a company that is capable of delivering drug plan and formulary information and patient benefits.

There will eventually be an elimination of fax prescribing and it is likely that Medicare will ultimately expect doctors to deliver Rxs through a true, certified e-prescribing source.

The most important issue for you to consider as an OD representative at that meeting is to evaluate the critical nature that ODs should apply to the decision of finding an e-prescribing source. Like so many mandates that seem to be impending, this could be a very slow moving process for health care providers across the spectrum to be affected by e-prescribing standards. Given the relatively low number of Rxs from ODs compared to many health care providers, what will be your sense of urgency for an OD?

Scott Jens, OD
Revolution EHR/EyeCodeRight Online

Just back from the e-prescribing meeting in Boston. Great meeting from CMS, I had low expectation...refreshing format with doctors, pharmacists, and administrators from small provider offices up to hospital groups.

They gave their PQR pitch. Carrot and stick approach. They strongly suggested using CCHIT EMR as it is fully Medicare compliant. It was discussed on this forum elsewhere that CCHIT is too burdensome and costly for most eyecare EMR companies. The only CCHIT software available for eyecare are products like NextGen which are expensive and designed for large group practices and hospitals.

So for the most part eye docs are looking to purchase a free standing product which can pull demographic data from your existing EMR. Adam, you may wish to consider adding another field to your grid that delineates if e-prescibing software is built into the EMR product or available.

Surescipts/RxHub facilitates communication between the doc office and the insurer and the pharmacy. They handle 95% of the market. Here is a link to their "grid" with the free standing vendors and all inclusive EMR:
http://www.surescripts.com/get...=physician

Paul

You need to find a software vendor that can pull name etc. in from you EMR and autofill the fields in the e-prescibe software.

Surescripts is the hub communicating with the doc/e-prescribing software, insurance company and pharmacy. Surescripts communicates with the insurer and you know instantly what meds are at which tier copy (similar to FingertipFormulary.com) only faster.

Some software enables you search for comparable meds and check for cross sensitivity with all meds currently prescribed from all of the patients physicians.

How often does the patient forget what they are taking? Now you can look it up. Supposedly 25% never fill their Rx. Now you can see that or if they did not pick it up.

Most of the speakers said that free stand alone software is available without all the bells and whistles. Service may be extra as it is with EMR.