Beginning March 27, all prescriptions
written in New York State must now be transmitted electronically from the
prescriber directly to the pharmacy. This requirement is a key component of New
York's I-STOP initiative that is focused on helping curb the abuse of
prescription medication throughout the state.
"This reform will improve patient
safety, reduce the number of fraudulent or stolen prescriptions, and help combat
prescription drug abuse across New York," Governor Cuomo said.
"Addiction can affect anyone from any walk of life and this administration
will continue to use every tool it can to combat this epidemic and provide help
to those in need."
As of March 27, prescriptions will no
longer be handwritten or called in to the pharmacy, except in limited
situations such as during disasters, technological or electrical failures, and
other exceptional circumstances. In exceptional circumstances requiring written
prescriptions, prescribers must still use Official New York State Prescription
forms and document the reason for use of the paper script each time.
Prescribers with waivers are exceptions to the e-prescribe mandate. Patients
seeking the best prices for their medications can still comparison-shop before
asking their doctor to send their prescriptions to their preferred pharmacy.
More than 60,000 prescribers are already
e-prescribing and prescribers continue to register their certified software
with the New York State Department of Health. Understanding that extra time was
needed for some to make the switch from paper to electronic, Governor Cuomo
signed legislation in March 2015 granting a one-year extension for these
prescribers to comply with the requirement.
New York State Health Commissioner Dr.
Howard Zucker said, "Digital securities such as e-prescribing and
prescription monitoring promote safe and efficient medication administration
that both providers and their patients will appreciate. These policies
demonstrate that DOH's priority is always the safety and well-being of
patients."
I-STOP requires prescribers to consult
the Prescription Monitoring Program Registry when writing prescriptions for
Schedule II, III, and IV controlled substances. The Registry provides
practitioners with direct, secure access to view dispensed controlled substance
prescription histories for patients in real time. It is available 24 hours a
day/7 days a week via an application on the Health Commerce System. The data is
further used to identify potential sources of prescription drug diversion or
abuse, including prescription fraud. As of the end of 2015, I-STOP has led to a
90 percent decrease in the number of "doctor shoppers" or patients
who visit multiple prescribers and pharmacies to obtain prescriptions for
controlled substances within a three-month time period.
Patients with questions about
e-prescriptions can access information here: http://www.health.ny.gov/
Source: Press Office, Governor
Andrew M. Cuomo
No comments:
Post a Comment