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New Jersey News: Medicare Standards for E-Prescribing
Reprinted from the July 2008 New Jersey Board of Pharmacy Newsletter.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Office of Public Affairs published new standards for e-prescribing in the Federal Register on April 2, 2008. The final rule does not require physicians and pharmacists to implement e-prescribing. However, those prescribers, dispensers, and other providers who do use e-prescribing must comply with the new Medicare standards. The standards implement three electronic tools for use in e-prescribing:
1. Formulary and Benefits – Will allow the prescriber to communicate with Part D sponsors to determine which drugs are covered by a Medicare-eligible patient’s prescription drug benefit plan, and whether lower-cost generic drugs are available.
2. Medication History – Will allow the prescriber, pharmacist, and Part D sponsor to communicate among themselves concerning a beneficiary’s current or past prescription drugs, including those prescribed by other providers, in an effort to reduce the number of drug interactions and adverse drug events.
3. Fill Status Notification – In an effort to better inform the physician or other provider about the patient’s adherence to the prescribed medication, this standard will allow the pharmacy or other dispenser to send an electronic notice to the physician or other provider when a beneficiary’s prescription has been picked up, not picked up, or partially filled.
In addition, the final rule will require all providers, dispensers, and Plan D sponsors to use the National Provider Identifier (NPI) to identify all individual health care providers in Part D e-prescribing transactions. The use of the NPI is intended to reduce the number of pharmacy callbacks to medical offices to verify the prescriber’s identity, thereby speeding workflow.
