Posted: January 27th, 2017 | Author: Shauna | Filed under: Basics, Dental, Digital Health, Medical, Telehealth | Tags: Dental, digital health, DoseSpot, DoseSpot e-Prescribing, Drummond Group, e-Prescribing, e-Prescribing Integration, e-Prescribing of Controlled Substances, e-Prescribing Software, e-Prescribing Solution, e-Prescribing Vendor, Electronic Health Record, Electronic Medical Record, electronic prescribing, EPCS, Healthcare Software, Healthcare Software Companies, Medical, Practice Management, surescripts, telehealth | No Comments »
Now that you’re well-versed in the world of e-Prescribing, let’s go one step further and prepare you for your own health care software’s e-Prescribing journey.
Here are some helpful tools to get you started.
The DoseSpot e-Prescribing Integration Tool Kit reviews everything you need to know about e-Prescribing integrations and what a partnership with DoseSpot e-Prescribing entails. Specifically, you will learn:
- DoseSpot’s e-Prescribing Integration Platforms: Integration JumpStart and Integration Plus+
- The markets we serve: Medical, Dental, and Digital Health
- Development features, functionality, and API
- Integration project cycles
- The benefits of partnering with DoseSpot
Get your copy here.
With more than 150 e-Prescribing integrations under our belt, we know a thing or two about what an e-Prescribing integration requires. In our How to Prepare Guide, we take the guesswork out by providing you with the following information:
- Specific patient demographic requirements
- Character limits and field requirements
- How to correctly transmit patient demographic information from your health care software to DoseSpot
Get your copy here.
Need more information? Feel free to schedule a meeting with us!
About DoseSpot
DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, 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 to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit www.DoseSpot.com.
Posted: January 26th, 2017 | Author: Jodi | Filed under: Basics, Controlled Substances, Dental, Digital Health, Medical, Telehealth | Tags: Drummond Group, e-Prescribing, e-Prescribing Basics, e-Prescribing Integration, e-Prescribing Software, e-Prescribing Vendor, EHR, EMR, End Users, Health Care IT, Health Care Software, health IT, healthcare IT, Healthcare Software, Practice Management Software, surescripts, White Labeled Solution | No Comments »
As we discussed in our previous post, e-Prescribing is the electronic transmission of a prescription from the prescriber’s device to the patient’s pharmacy of choice, therefore replacing the traditional paper prescription.
How does e-Prescribing work for end users?
While e-Prescribing software comes in many shapes and sizes, e-Prescribing integration is directly integrated into healthcare software such as an Electronic Health Record / Electronic Medical Record, telehealth application, or dental practice management solution. By way of integrating e-Prescribing into a healthcare software, the e-Prescribing platform becomes an integral component of a healthcare software’s product offering.
e-Prescribing integration seamlessly allows a prescriber to log into their existing healthcare software, select a patient, then search for, enter and send an e-Prescription for the patient in a few short steps. The process saves the prescriber time while improving patient outcomes.
What are the benefits of a custom, white labeled solution?
When an e-Prescribing solution is “white labeledâ€, this means the e-Prescribing user interface mirrors the look and feel of the healthcare software in which the e-Prescribing solution has been embedded. Colors, fonts, font sizes, layout – you name it – can all be completely customized to provide a seamless experience for end users.
Furthermore, mobile optimization has become a major trend as more healthcare software solutions are operating in the cloud and prescribers are accessing applications from multiple devices and multiple locations. This is why it’s important that the e-Prescribing functionality performs well in different environments, but most importantly, on smaller screens.
Responsive design is critical in ensuring that any e-Prescribing solution is accessible on every device. It’s the best one size fits all solution as this type of design allows the webpage to expand and contract in order to perfectly fit within any screen in both the traditional office and mobile settings. Ultimately, responsive design cuts down on development time as the e-Prescribing user interface does not need to be adjusted manually for each type of device (i.e. mobile, tablet, laptop, or desktop).
What does it take to cross the finish line and go live?
To go live with e-Prescribing and be able to send prescriptions electronically, all healthcare software companies must go through a Surescriptsâ„¢ e-Prescribing integration review. Surescripts operates the largest health information network that connects the diverse and expansive community of care partners nationwide, including pharmacies, providers, benefit managers, and health information exchanges.
As part of this e-Prescribing integration review, healthcare software companies will have to successfully execute various test scenarios during a web meeting with Surescripts. Test scenarios will be provided for the following services:
- NewRx: Route new prescriptions to the patient’s pharmacy of choice
- Refills: Receive prescription renewal requests and submit responses between doctor and pharmacy
- Medication History: View aggregated medication history data from pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) upon receipt of patient consent.
- Prescription Benefit: Surescripts’ Prescription Benefit service puts eligibility, benefits and formulary information at a prescriber’s fingertips at the time of prescribing. This enables prescribers to select medications that are on formulary and are covered by the patient’s drug benefit.
- Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances (EPCS): Product has achieved Surescripts EPCS certification and has provided third-party audit documentation as required by the DEA.
Upon completion, healthcare software companies will be listed on the Surescripts website.
Healthcare software companies also looking for the ability to Electronically Prescribe Controlled Substances (EPCS) will need to go through a similar testing process with an approved e-Prescribing of Controlled Substances auditor such as the Drummond Group Inc., one of the first DEA approved certification bodies for EPCS.
Learn about DoseSpot’s e-Prescribing integration process by downloading our latest Integration Tool Kit.
Don’t miss the other parts of our e-Prescribing 101 series:
e-Prescribing 101, Part I: The Basics
e-Prescribing 101, Part II: Controlled Substances
About DoseSpot
DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, 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 to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit www.DoseSpot.com.
Posted: January 26th, 2017 | Author: Shauna | Filed under: Basics, Controlled Substances, Dental, Digital Health, Medical, Telehealth | Tags: Addiction, Controlled Substances, e-Prescribing, e-Prescribing controlled substances, e-Prescribing Integration, e-Prescribing Software, e-Prescribing Vendor, EHR, EMR, EPCS, Health Care Software, Medication Schedules, Opioid Epidemic, Opioids, Practice Management Software, Scheduled Drugs | No Comments »
To continue our e-Prescribing 101 blog series, we shine light on controlled substances. What they are, their relationship to e-Prescribing, as well as the correlation between prescription drugs and the current opioid epidemic.
What is a controlled substance?
A controlled substance is a drug or chemical, such as illicitly used drugs or prescription medications, that is regulated by a government based on the drug or chemical’s manufacture, possession, or use.
Why are certain drugs categorized as a controlled substance?
A drug is typically classified as “controlled” due to the potential detrimental effects on a person’s health and well-being. As a result, state and federal governments have seen fit to regulate such substances.
It’s for this reason that drugs, substances, and certain chemicals used to make drugs of this caliber are classified into five categories. The drug segregation is dependent upon the drug’s acceptable medical use and the drug’s abuse or dependency potential.
What are the medication schedules for controlled substances?
Schedule I
- Drugs with no currently accepted medical use and hold a high potential for abuse.
- Examples: Heroin, Marijuana (Cannabis), LSD, and Ecstasy
Schedule II
- Includes drugs that are accepted for medical use, but have a high potential for abuse, with use potentially leading to severe psychological or physical dependence.
- Examples: Vicodin, OxyContin, Adderall, and Ritalin
Schedule III
- Drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence, with less abuse potential than Schedule I or Schedule II drugs.
- Examples: anabolic steroids, testosterone, and Tylenol with codeine
Schedule IV
- Drugs within this category have a low potential for abuse and dependence.
- Examples: benzodiazepines (Xanax, Valium, Ativan), Tramadol, and Ambien
Schedule V
- The lowest schedule for controlled substances, these drugs have lower potential for abuse and consist of preparations containing limited quantities of certain narcotics.
- Examples: Robitussin AC, Lyrica, and Motofen
What is EPCS?
EPCS stands for the Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances and is a technology that has been put into place to help address the rising issue of prescription drug abuse in the United States.
Understanding two-factor authentication
This two-step process is part of EPCS and ensures that only an authorized prescriber can electronically sign and send controlled substance prescriptions to a pharmacy, thus increasing patient safety. The process includes the entry of something you have, such as a token generated one-time code, and something you know, like a password. There are various options for two-factor authentication including: fob tokens, mobile phone applications, smart cards, USB thumb drives, and fingerprint scanners.
What is an opioid?
Opioids are substances that act on the body’s opioid receptors to produce euphoric effects, better known as a “high”, and are most often used medically to treat moderate to severe pain that may not respond well to other pain medications.
Why are opioids so addictive?
Opioid drugs work by binding opioid receptors in the brain, spinal cord, and other areas of the body to reduce the sending of pain messages to the brain, thus simultaneously reducing the physical feelings of said pain. They create artificial endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, which tap into the “reward” sector of someone’s brain. However, with chronic use, opioids eventually trick the brain into stopping the production of these endorphins naturally. In doing so, the tolerance level increases and a patient is left with taking more medication to achieve the same effect.
They are most dangerous when taken in certain ways to increase the “high”, such as crushing pills and then snorting or injecting the powder, or combining the pills with alcohol or drugs, especially benzodiazepines. While some patients do take them for their intended purpose, they can still risk dangerous adverse reactions by not taking them exactly as prescribed, i.e. they take more at one time, or combine them with other medications not checked by their doctor.
Unfortunately, the fear of the intense withdrawal symptoms is often the biggest culprit when it comes to patients remaining addicted and ultimately leads them to continue taking the medication even if they no longer want to.
The correlation between prescription opioids and the opioid epidemic
In 2012 alone, 259 million prescriptions were written for opioids, which is more than enough to give every American adult their own bottle of pills. In comparison to ten, even five years ago, this number is dramatically increasing as time goes on and more and more opioid overdoses are being reported on a daily basis.
Physicians and dentists are collectively responsible for providing 81.6% of opioid prescriptions in the United States and because of this, they have a very unique role in mitigating the impact of this opioid epidemic. Opioid addiction often starts at the hands of healthcare professionals simply trying to do their job, prescribing pain medications to relieve their patients of painful woes, especially during post-operative recovery.
While many prescriptions are meant for initial, short-term treatment, some doctors and dentists authorize refills time and time again because they want to help patients whom claim that they are still in pain. However, when the pill bottle and refills run out, patients are left seeking alternatives to create that euphoric escape they’ve become so accustomed to. This could mean an endless search of several different doctors to prescribe more substances (also known as doctor shopping), purchasing pills on the black market, or worse, turning to heroin as a cheaper and more readily available alternative.
Furthermore, the associated stigma often deters patients from receiving proper rehabilitation treatment and even if they do seek treatment, the government currently limits the number of patients a single provider may treat with drugs such as buprenorphine or methadone, which are both proven to reduce cravings and save lives. This leads to many patients relapsing.
How does e-Prescribing help?
- e-Prescribing diminishes the possibilities of duplicate or lost prescriptions since the prescription is sent directly to the patient’s pharmacy.
- A patient will no longer have a paper prescription where the dispense quantity can be altered.
- Prescriber’s will have access to a patient’s medication history, therefore they can determine if a patient is doctor shopping or has a history of substance abuse.
Don’t miss the other parts of our e-Prescribing 101 series:
e-Prescribing 101, Part I:Â The Basics
e-Prescribing 101, Part III: End Users
Sources: DEA; DrugAbuse.gov; FDA
About DoseSpot
DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, 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 to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit www.DoseSpot.com.
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