Get your e-Prescribing solution ready because beginning in July of 2017 the state of Maine is mandating that all prescriptions for controlled substances are electronically transmitted, in efforts to prevent opiate abuse. Maine’s Governor Paul LePage has signed into law the “Act To Prevent Opiate Abuse by Strengthening the Controlled Substances Prescription Monitoring Program“. The law also requires prescribes to undergo addiction training every two years. Maine is the second state to mandate the electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS), New York’s e-Prescribing mandate went into effect March 27, 2016.
The law mandates prescriber participation in the Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) effective January 2017, which many states have already implemented, and sets limits for opioid prescriptions. In 2014 alone, there were 216 opioid-related deaths in the state of Maine.
In all 50 states, it is legal to electronically prescribed controlled substances to any pharmacy that accepts EPCS. RXNT|EPCS is a DEA and Surescripts certified solution. Along with decreasing prescription fraud and abuse, EPCS has three other main functions to aid physicians:
- Reduces paper prescriptions, eliminating the possibility of alternating the intended prescribing information, such as the patient name, medication, dosage instruction, etc. The prescription is sent electronically directly to the pharmacy to be filled as directed, with no room for error in between.
- The DEA requires a second layer of authentication for the prescriber to complete at the time of transmission. Only an authorized prescriber with an active DEA license and has completed an identity proofing test can obtain access for EPCS.
- Unlike paper prescriptions, ePrescribing software solutions provide a history of all prescriptions for each patient for audit purposes. RXNT, specifically, pulls patient claims history, in real time, for any medication written within the U.S. This feature has helped tremendously in preventing doctor shopping.
Why wait for the Maine deadline to implement an e-Prescribing vendor? Request a demo to see RXNT|eRx and how we can help you prepare to electronically send controlled substances! Click here, call us at 800-943-7968 option 3 or email us at [email protected] to schedule your free demonstration.
