One of the biggest challenges for Hospice staff is transmitting a prescription to the pharmacy for a controlled medication. All 50 states have legalized the certification of electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS), but only a licensed provider with an active DEA can transmit a scheduled II-V prescription, after being certified by the vendor. In hospices where the number of nurses outweigh the number of doctors, this is a huge obstacle. Alternatively, there can be multiple doctors on staff but only one or two working one at a time, again inhibiting controlled prescriptions being filled promptly.
How can the process be improved? How can the prescriptions be signed off from doctor and sent to the pharmacy instantaneously? The answer is simple– electronic prescribing.
e-Prescribing has been a major advancement in the hospice world. RXNT, and other e-Prescribing vendors help hundreds of hospices nationwide in two major ways by:
- Improving the workflow between nurses and doctors internally
- And most importantly, allowing patients to receive their medication sooner
Each agent (nurse, clinical staff) has access to RXNT from their desktop, iPhone, Android, or iPad and can view clinical data virtually from any location. For nurses on the go, mobile access eliminates having to wait to send a prescription until they return to the hospice. This also saves time driving around in search of a fax machine to send the paper prescription to the doctor’s for approval and their signature.
For example, a nurse can visit a patient at their bedside, log into the RXNT|eRx app on their iPad, and select a medication and a pharmacy to send a prescription to. At this point, the nurse can save the prescription, instantaneously alerting the doctor, who can then approve the prescription right away remotely from their location. The doctor will always have the final approval of any controlled substance to abide by all DEA regulations. From the mobile app or desktop, the doctor can make edits to the prescription that has been queued up for them or change the pharmacy without having to recreate a new prescription.
e-Prescribing also eliminates nurses to physically walk around multiple buildings searching for the attending provider for their signature. From a nurse choosing a patient to the prescription being received by the pharmacy can be completed within minutes.
If there are multiple doctors, the nurse can choose which provider they will be writing their prescription under. A nurse, if given access by the provider, can transmit any non-controlled medication on the provider’s behalf, as well as approve refills.
Learn more about RXNT|eRx solution and how it can help your Hospice. You are able to have questions answered from a product specialist. Don’t miss out on this opportunity!
