Are YOU e-Prescribing?
As a Hospice Pharmacy Benefit Manager, PDC Rx is always looking for new services that we can offer to our hospice customers. Decreasing pharmacy costs for our hospice customers is only a fraction of what we strive to accomplish. In recent years, faxing prescriptions has become more and more unaccepted when it comes to controlled substances. In fact, it is already illegal in several states.
So why aren’t most hospices already ePrescribing?
There are 3 reasons why hospices are hesitant to implement ePrescribing in their organization.
1.Hospices are waiting until they are legally required to do so.
Are hospices exempt from state mandates requiring electronic prescriptions for controlled substances? Technically, yes. However, the pharmacy you use might not want to risk filling prescriptions that aren’t sent electronically. It doesn’t look good for them if they are ever audited by the DEA. So don’t be surprised if your local pharmacy all of the sudden tells you that they can no longer accept faxed prescription orders. Plus there is nothing worse than having to implement ePrescribing with an “ASAP” timeline. The last thing you want is for your hospice staff and providers to have a bad first impression and implementation of a new way of prescribing due to a rushed implementation. This leads me to my next point.
2. Hospices don’t know where to start.
I find that most of the time hospices haven’t yet implemented ePrescribing is because of the seemingly huge overhaul that will accompany this new way of ordering medications. After all, it is quite the task to shop for a product and then round up all of your providers and staff to get them enrolled and trained. Hospices are busy as is, and trying to add in this new way of doing things feels like it can wait. Problem is, it will be much more difficult to implement if you decide to wait until the last minute. It is much better to start the process and take as long as you and your staff need to make the transition.
3. Hospices don’t want to pay for yet another vendor
Your hospice has always faxed prescriptions and it has worked just fine. So why would you be eager to go out and pay for hospice ePrescribing when faxing is completely free and everyone already knows how to do it? It is definitely easier to put it off until it is completely necessary to make the jump. But again, it will make it that much more inconvenient when you put a deadline on the transition.
If your hospice has been resisting that feeling that maybe you should start looking into implementing ePrescribing, please feel free to reach out to our team at PDC Rx. Not only will we help you choose the best option for your hospice, but we will also cover the cost for you to ePrescribe if you are one of our customers! Free ePrescribing – Yup!
Now you have one less reason to keep putting it off.
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Jordan Evans - Director of Business Development
PDC Rx