The resources provided through this Web site - including the e-Prescribing Readiness Assessment - can confirm if your current practice technology is certified to securely exchange prescription information with payers, pharmacy benefit managers and pharmacies.
Electronic prescribing can allow your practice to access formulary, pharmacy benefits eligibility and medication history information on your patients and securely exchange prescription information with pharmacies electronically, rather than by fax, phone or on paper.
This distinction is important. Many prescribers that use EMR systems to prepare and submit prescriptions to pharmacies are unaware that the prescription is being sent by fax, even if the pharmacies are e-prescribing capable.
With e-prescribing, prescriptions are securely sent to pharmacy computers, not fax machines. Pharmacies can use their e-prescribing connection to send requests for prescription refill requests to practices electronically. This can significantly reduce pharmacy
phone calls and faxes and free more time for patient care or other reimbursable activity.
Managing prescriptions by fax could also have implications for your practice given new Medicare incentive programs and regulatory changes that may impact the way you prescribe.
The Medicare Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program:
Beginning in 2009 and during the four years that follow, Medicare will provide incentive payments to eligible professionals who are successful electronic prescribers as defined by the Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA). Eligible professionals will receive 2 percent incentive payments in 2009 and 2010; 1 percent incentive payments in 2011 and 2012; and a 0.5 percent incentive payment in 2013.
If your practice uses an electronic medical record (EMR) or standalone e-prescribing system to manage prescriptions, you may be eligible for these payments.
However, it is important to understand that EMR and e-prescribing systems that send computer-generated faxed prescriptions to e-prescribing-capable pharmacies do not qualify for this program. In addition your prescribing system must provide access to patient formulary, pharmacy benefits eligibility, and medication history information to be eligible. For more information on this and other qualifications for e-prescribing systems under MIPPA, please click here.
Additional Regulatory Information:
Prescribers should be aware that e-prescriptions
are excluded from the October 1, 2008, CMS requirement that all written
Medicaid prescriptions must be on a tamper-resistant blank.
Plus, as of January 1, 2012, you will no longer be able to send Part D prescriptions to pharmacies by computer-generated fax. If your EMR or e-prescribing system is not enabled to send prescriptions to pharmacies electronically by this date, you must print prescriptions and hand them to patients or manually fax them.
Prescribers who use technology to prepare prescriptions and submit them to pharmacies should ensure that their systems are capable of sending prescription information directly to pharmacy computers (also called EDI transmission) and not by computer-generated fax.
Take the Assessment:
The E-Prescribing Readiness Assessment on GetRxConnected.org takes less than five minutes. The report will tell you if your EMR or e-prescribing system includes certain key functionalities that you must have access to in order to be eligible for the MIPPA E-Prescribing Incentive Program, including whether your practice’s EMR/e-prescribing technology is certified for direct electronic connection with pharmacies and what steps you should take to establish your connection.
Enabling full e-prescribing functionality now will help your practice maximize its bonus potential with the Medicare incentive program.
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