Keeping Up with the July 1, 2023 ePrescribing Mandate

By Robert McDermott, iCoreConnect President and CEO
From the Winter 2023 Journal of the Colorado Dental Association

On July 1, 2023 the Electronic Prescribing for Controlled Substances (EPCS) law will take effect and apply to dentists who prescribe controlled substances.

What is an EPCS Mandate?

In 2010, the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) determined that it was in the best interest of all parties to enable doctors and providers to write electronic prescriptions for controlled substances, and pharmacists to receive, fill and archive those prescriptions.

Many states have adopted EPCS laws, requiring electronic prescriptions for all or certain controlled substances. These prescriptions are now trackable for both the doctor and the pharmacy.

In Colorado, Senate Bill 19-079 states that the Colorado EPCS act requires “health care practitioners with prescribing authority to prescribe schedule II, III, or IV controlled substances only via a prescription that is electronically transmitted to a pharmacy unless a specified exception applies. Prescribing practitioners are required to indicate on license renewal questionnaires whether they have complied with the electronic prescribing requirement.”
The enforcement date for dentists is July 1, 2023.

There are three big reasons ePrescribing all medications, including controlled substances, is considered beneficial:

1. Security measures make it harder for someone who abuses prescription opioids to be prescribed a controlled substance containing an opioid. These measures include two-factor authentication, compliance reporting and security audits.
2. With practice management system integration, patient information auto populates, and prescription drug information integrates, which aids in reducing fraud and diversion, as well as improving patient care.
3. ePrescribing greatly reduces medication errors caused by bad handwriting. In fact, in a study of opioid prescriptions filled at a Johns Hopkins Medicine Outpatient Pharmacy, researchers found that handwritten orders for drugs contributed heavily to prescribing and processing errors in contrast to those created electronically.

How ePrescribing Software Can Improve Patient Care

Protecting both your patient and practice are top priorities for most dentists and dental practice managers. Finding the right technology tools that can achieve both is essential. Given the robust features of a fully-developed ePrescription software solution, the benefits are significant, especially when it comes to improving patient care and increasing patient safety.

In fact, ePrescribing every medication, in addition to controlled substances, helps:

• Improve prescription accuracy
• Ensure patient prescription safety
• Increase adherence to prescriptions
• Improve perception of care

While those are immediate patient care benefits, your patients will also have a better patient experience because you and your team will have more time to focus on patient care. ePrescribing can afford you speed to send multiple prescriptions within minutes. You’ll receive immediate confirmation from the pharmacy and your patient record will be updated with the prescription. Your workflow significantly changes.

What You Need to Know to Get Set to ePrescribe

There are several steps to be aware of as you make the switch to ePrescribing. First, you’ll need specialized software that compliantly communicates directly with the pharmacy. The DEA also has requirements regarding the ePrescription software utilized by your dental practice. More specifically, the DEA requires that your EPCS solution includes:

• EPCS certification
• Two-factor authentication to ensure secure system logins
• Robust reporting for compliance and security audits

Your dental practice must also maintain stringent data security practices and policies to ensure the safety of prescription transmissions and patient data. You’ll go through an identity verification process and training to become operational. There is an additional certification process required by law for prescribing controlled substances.

What’s Your Next Step?

As you research which ePrescribing software is right for you, take into consideration what kind of human support is provided to help you navigate the legal certifications needed to prescribe controlled substances. It can take up to two weeks to fully complete all of the government registrations, so factor that into your timing. Getting set up on the software is the easy part. The certifications are what takes up the bulk of the time. Having someone navigate the process with you can save you time and energy. Essentially, choosing ePrescription software is about choosing the right software partner for your dental practice’s security and success.

Don’t wait until the last minute. ePrescribing is an opportunity to significantly speed up your clinical workflow, especially when you ePrescribe all medications. Look for a software that offers you access to a built-in drug directory and provides cloud-based freedom and flexibility. When you are able to ePrescribe on any device from any location, patient care improves.

You may also want to consider ePrescribing software that automatically connects to the Colorado Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, in just a few keystrokes. And, you’ll definitely want to make sure the software integrates with your practice management system.

There isn’t any reason to wait until a few months before the law takes effect. Advanced ePrescribing tools are an essential and easy way to let technology streamline your clinical workflow while staying in full compliance with the law.

The CDA endorses iCoreRX for ePrescribing. Book a demo of iCoreRx ePrescribing software at iCoreConnect.com/Co11 or call 888-810-7706. CDA members receive a 43% special discount on iCoreRx.