The Maine Mandate—Confronting Controlled Substances Head-On

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The annual Maine Dental Association (MDA) Convention commenced in Rockport, ME on Friday, June 10^th and it’s safe to say the event was a tremendous success. The DoseSpot team was fortunate to not only attend, but also announce the keynote speaker, Dr. Harold L. Crossley, whom is well known for his expertise regarding street drugs and the chemical dependency associated with such drugs. In his two-part session, “Street Drugs Exposed”, Dr. Crossley provided intriguing insight to the controlled substance epidemic that the United States is currently facing. He explained that chemical dependency is a primary, chronic, progressive, and relapsing disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. Dr. Crossley also further defined the term “chemical dependency” as a primary illness or disease that is characterized by addiction to a mood-altering chemical. It is progressive and chronic, and if left untreated, it can be fatal.

Headlines regarding overdoses seem to appear on a daily basis and one thing is certain—these drugs do not discriminate. The American Society of Addiction Medicine states that four out of five new heroin users are first addicted to prescription opioids because when the pill supply runs out, heroin is typically the next option. To be fair, the origins of this epidemic aren’t necessarily because of a prescriber’s bad behavior. The majority are well-intentioned prescribers that are simply trying to do their job the best way they know how. This disease and the increasing rate of fatalities, however, are devastating local communities across the country and have caused some states to take aggressive action.

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In an effort to better monitor the prescribing of such drugs, Maine has become the second state behind New York to mandate electronic prescribing for controlled substances and the third state to set a limit on the duration and daily strength of opioid prescriptions. Prescribers will also be required to partake in addiction training every two years. This may ignite some eye-rolls and perhaps a tinge of anxiety, but let’s look at the bigger picture. Dentists are often criticized for “irresponsibly” prescribing controlled substances and “taking advantage” of perceived financial incentives to over-treat pain. On the other hand, the majority of dentists believe they have been victims of prescription fraud or theft. The good news is, e-Prescribing can alleviate many pain points that dentists and society are collectively experiencing.

Here at DoseSpot, we understand that making any type of change can be difficult, but e-Prescribing doesn’t need to be one of them. Contact us today to learn how seamless the e-Prescribing transition can be with DoseSpot on your side.

Sources: Portland Press Herald; Boston Globe

About DoseSpot

DoseSpot, partnered with Lexicomp, is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions since 2009. For more information, please visit http://www.DoseSpot.com.

E-Prescribing 101

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Electronic prescribing is not just the ability to send prescriptions electronically to pharmacies. E-Prescribing can also increase care quality in a number of ways:

• E-prescribing makes sure that the prescriber is providing enough specific information for the pharmacist to fill the prescription, including the name of the drug, the dosage, its physical form, the route, and the physician’s instructions.
• Electronic prescribing software eliminates the time and effort of trying to understand the prescriber’s handwriting, as well as the chance of an error in that translation.
• E-prescribing significantly reduces the chance that the prescriber’s intentions are misinterpreted.
• E-prescribing is often used in conjuction with clinical decision support to ensure that any drug to drug interactions or drug to diagnosis issues are found and reported to the physician before the prescription order is completed.

Electronic prescribing is considered one of the most important areas of Healthcare IT, which is why Medicare created payment incentives for physicians who use a qualified e-prescribing system. In 2009, the incentives are an increase of 2% in revenue for each patient when e-prescribing is used. Due to the 2009 HITECH Act, electronic prescribing is required as part of any EMR (EHR) which qualifies for Medicare reimbursement in 2011.