Posted: March 2nd, 2017 | Author: DoseSpot | Filed under: In the News, Public Policy | Tags: e-Prescribing, e-Prescribing controlled substances, Electronic Prescription, EPCS, health IT, healthcare IT, Healthcare Software, Maine State Mandate, Minnesota State Mandate, Opioid Epidemic, State e Prescribing Law, State e Prescribing Mandate, State Electronic Prescription Law, State Electronic Prescription Mandate, State Mandates, State Opioid Law | No Comments »
It’s no secret that e-Prescribing has its benefits. Many professionals agree that eRx greatly improves patient safety and reduces overall health care costs by lowering potential medication errors. Additionally, the ability to electronically prescribe controlled substances (also known as EPCS) greatly reduces fraud while preventing patients from being able to “doctor shopâ€, or receive multiple prescriptions for the same drug via different prescribers.
According to Paul Uhrig, Chief Legal Officer for Surescripts, between 3-9% of all opioid abusers use or have used forged prescriptions. With e-Prescribing, the ability to forge prescriptions is completely taken off the table. On top of that, with the addition of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) now implemented in all 50 states, prescribers are able to see all pertinent data that has been pulled from the patient’s electronic health record (EHR). This inevitably helps them make more knowledgeable and appropriate choices when prescribing scheduled medications.
With so many known benefits of e-Prescribing, and also because of the nationwide opioid epidemic, many states are getting on board the mandate train, which requires that by law, all prescribers must submit prescriptions electronically. There are currently 3 states which have this e-Prescribing mandate: New York, Maine, and Minnesota and many more that already have legislation in the works for an e-Prescribing mandate.
Taking the First Step: Minnesota Mandate
Minnesota was the first state to create an e-Prescribing mandate, which was intended to push all prescribers to establish and maintain an electronic prescription program that complied with state standards (listed here), effective January 1, 2011. According to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), Minnesota measures the status of e-Prescribing in three ways: total transactions, enabled pharmacies, and prescriber utilization. They’ve provided the following chart to demonstrate the increase in e-Prescribing transactions since 2008:
We can see that there was a pretty steep jump in 2011, which is when the mandate went into effect. However, the climb from 2011-2013 was slow yet steady.
Reinforcement of the Mandate, or Lack Thereof
The Minnesota Department of Health reiterates that there is currently no enforcement mechanism for not complying with the state’s e-Prescribing mandate. MDH does stress the benefits of e-Prescribing to providers as well as threaten with the possible implications of non-compliance from a patient/healthcare perspective. When the mandate was first released, it was implied that there would most likely be future establishment of enforcement methods. However, as of today, there is still no means of forcing providers to comply with the mandate.
Because there are no negative repercussions to providers who do not comply, there are many that choose to still utilize paper prescriptions, especially when it comes to sending controlled substances. According to Surescripts, only 3.5% of doctors in Minnesota were using EPCS in 2016. Additionally, the Minnesota Department of Health showed that drug overdose deaths increased 11%, reporting 516 deaths in 2014 to 572 deaths in 2015. These statistics could very well be unrelated to each other, but it still goes to show that that there is work to be done in Minnesota in regards to the opioid epidemic and electronic prescribing.
Some Considerations
Even though there is proof that it has its benefits, the challenges that come with implementing e-Prescribing can’t be ignored. Understandably, and rightfully so, prescribers have long expressed that their main focus is on their patients and they generally don’t enjoy being dictated by the government if it means being intrusive in helping their patients. This is especially true when it involves new systems that require onboarding and training time, but it can also be an even bigger challenge for prescribers to find the funds to support the implementation of an e-Prescribing system.
With these two large considerations in mind, it’s important that future states not only allow healthcare software companies and associated practices ample time to get their e-Prescribing systems up and running, but also offer some form of incentive or enforcement mechanism to keep prescribers in compliance. However, it’s even more important to remind prescribers that the perceived difficulty during the transition time in the beginning is minimal in comparison to how many benefits will transpire in the future. It’s all about taking that first step.
Author: Shannon K.
Sources:Â Minnesota Department of Health; Minnesota Department of Health Fact Sheet; MN e-Prescribing Guidance; Decision Resources Group; USA Today; Managed Care Magazine
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: February 28th, 2017 | Author: Jodi | Filed under: In the News, Public Policy | Tags: Connecticut e-Prescribing Bill, Connecticut Opioid Bill, Connecticut Opioid Law, Connecticut Opioid Legislation, Connecticut Opioid Proposal, e-Prescribing, electronic prescribing, Electronic Prescription Law, Electronic Prescriptions, EPCS, Maine e-Prescribing Mandate, Maine Mandate, Maine Opioid Law, Maine Opioid Prescribing Mandate, Maine Opioid Prescriptions, Mandatory e-Prescribing, Mandatory Electronic Prescribing, Opioid Abuse, Opioid Crisis, Opioid Drugs, Opioid Epidemic, Pennsylvania e-Prescribing Bill, Pennsylvania Opioid Bill, Pennsylvania Opioid Law, Pennsylvania Opioid Legislation, Pennsylvania Opioid Prescriptions, State e Prescribing Law, State e Prescribing Mandate, State Opioid Law, State Opioid Mandates, Virginia e-Prescribing Law, Virginia e-Prescribing Mandate, Virginia Opioid Bill, Virginia Opioid Law, Virginia Opioid Legislation, Virginia Opioid Mandate, Virginia State Mandate | No Comments »
New York will soon be celebrating their one year e-Prescribing mandate anniversary at the end of March and on the heels of this inaugural, impactful mandate, it’s exciting to see other states hopping on the e-Prescribing bandwagon. Not only did Maine announce its own e-Prescribing legislation that’s effective in just four months, but since the start of 2017, three additional states have introduced similar mandates. One common denominator most prevalent to note, however, is the overwhelming commitment by each state to combat the opioid crisis in order to decrease overdose death rates and improve patient safety overall.
Let’s review the three states that have recently proposed e-Prescribing legislation.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania experienced an astounding 3,264 opioid overdose deaths in 2015, a 20.1% increase from 2014. With the rising, devastating numbers in tow, Pennsylvania has decided to take further action and follow suit with New York and Maine.
On February 6, 2017, Pennsylvania State Senator Richard Alloway and Pennsylvania State Representative Tedd Nesbit announced the introduction of legislation that will require all opioid prescriptions such as OxyContin®, Percocet®, and Norco® to be e-Prescribed in Pennsylvania. The proposed bill will not only require controlled substances to be sent electronically, but will also enforce Schedule II medications not to be refilled by the pharmacy. For Schedules III and IV prescriptions, the bill requires that such prescriptions, “shall not be filled or refilled more than six months after the date thereof or be refilled more than five times after the date of the prescription unless renewed by the practitioner.â€
The state is committed to a fast turnaround on implementing this legislation and as a result, especially for the protection of patients, the General Assembly is being urged to pass this vital legislation before June 30, 2017.
Connecticut
Yet another state devastated by the increasing drug overdose deaths from opioids, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy recently announced an increase in state funding to address opioid addiction and also introduced a series of legislative proposals, including one that will require all opioid prescriptions to be electronically prescribed. Governor Malloy not only highlighted the reduction in fraud that e-Prescribing can accomplish relative to curbing drug diversion, but also specifically noted the benefits of being able to track prescription data as a means to document both prescriber and patient information for electronic transactions.
“A pad of paper doesn’t come from a particular site. It is hard to trace,†Malloy said. “If you do it electronically, you can instantaneously trace, and it’s easier for us to document who is getting the drug, and who is prescribing the drug.â€
As part of Governor Malloy’s proposal, a bill that outlines giving patients the ability to include a form in their medical file that indicates that they do not want opioid treatment has also been included. With value based care underway, this serves as another way to encourage patients to make their own health care and treatment decisions for what they deem works best for them.
Like Pennsylvania, the protection of patients across Connecticut is of utmost importance to the state, therefore Governor Malloy is pushing for this imperative legislation to be effective as of January 1, 2018.
Virginia
In Virginia, it has been estimated that 1,000 people died from overdose in 2016, a 33% increase from the prior year. Moving quickly, the General Assembly of Virginia unanimously approved legislature on January 26, 2017 requiring any prescription containing an opiate to be issued as an electronic prescription and will also prohibit any pharmacist from dispensing a controlled substance that contains an opiate unless the prescription is issued electronically.
On February 23rd, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe signed five bills to address the opioid epidemic, including the mandate for all opioid prescriptions to be prescribed electronically by July 1, 2020. It will also create a working group to study how best to implement this change.
What’s unique about this legislature, however, is that it all began with a practicing dentist who happens to be a state delegate for Virginia.
“We have all seen the tragic headlines that highlight the devastating impact that opioid addiction has had – and continues to have – on families and communities throughout the Commonwealth and the Nation,†said Delegate Todd Pillion. “This is an issue that I see not only as a legislator, but as a prescriber myself.â€
As such, Delegate Pillion decided to utilize his profound, and heartfelt, voice to address the opioid epidemic that is sweeping our nation at alarming rates. Having personal experience under his belt, he was responsible for the original proposed e-Prescribing mandate in Virginia.
Where do other states stand?
With 3 states proposing legislature in the first 60 days of 2017, we anticipate more states to follow. As many individuals involved in the aforementioned state legislations have mentioned, it just makes plain sense to prescribe the most addictive, but necessary, medication through e-Prescribing. It is finally, and rightfully, being viewed as an optimal tool to overcome this drug crisis.
Electronically prescribing opioids will not only decrease drug overdose deaths and increase patient safety, but it will also:
- Combat the rising issue of prescription fraud within a dental practice, including misuse of a dentist’s DEA number, forged signatures, and stolen prescription pads by patients or an Insider Threat.
- Allow a prescriber to query a patient’s medication history at point of care in order to determine if they are “doctor shoppingâ€, or visiting multiple prescribers strictly to receive opioid prescriptions.
- Add to patient convenience by reducing wait times in pharmacies.
- Increase patient medication pick-up adherence. Between 28% and 31% of all paper prescriptions either never make it to the pharmacy or are not picked up at all.
Stay tuned for more states that will undoubtedly be proposing similar legislature in order to work together toward a common goal for the safety of patients overall.
Sources: Virginia Gazette; Bearing Drift; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; CBS Local; WNPOR
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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