SALT LAKE CITY (PRWEB)
December 09, 2020

Why Are States Implementing EPCS Mandates?

Electronic prescribing reduces opportunities for prescription fraud and opioid abuse. It also helps prescribers easily keep track of medication use while improving outcomes and increasing the speed with which controlled substances are delivered to patients. Electronic prescribing is especially important for hospice, where patients in the home setting typically require more controlled substances to manage pain and other symptoms. In these cases, caregivers other than the hospice staff are typically relied on to both obtain prescriptions from the pharmacy and help administer them.

What the EPCS Mandates Mean

Traditionally, controlled substances require a “wet” signature that includes the original prescription sent directly to the pharmacy. In the case of hospice, these “wet” prescriptions can be faxed to the pharmacy in most states, with the original sent up to 7 days later. Once the EPCS mandates go into effect, pharmacies will stop accepting “wet” signatures for controlled substances. Pharmacies that continue to accept these prescriptions for controlled substances from non-compliant electronic solutions can face fines.

Why Generic ePrescribe Solutions Don’t Work Well for Hospice

Most ePrescribe solutions used for hospice today are generic third-party solutions built for physician practices. These same generic ePrescribe solutions are often provided to hospice organizations via a third-party (usually through their PBM). Generic ePrescribe solutions frequently don’t meet the complexities of the hospice medication workflow, including formulary management and allowing the hospice care team to manage patient medications seamlessly from multiple geographic locations. When hospices use a generic third-party ePrescribe solution, it forces their clinicians and pharmacists to follow complex processes (e.g., 30+ steps), from the hospice profiling and ordering of medications to the pharmacy that fills and delivers them. Many of the 30+ steps include time-consuming phone calls, callbacks, waiting on hold, and voicemails. Also, third party solutions require additional integrations with electronic medical records solutions (EMRs), which create gaps in which prescriptions can be “lost” (e.g., without notification to either the prescriber or the pharmacy), leaving patients waiting for their much-needed medications.    

Why BetterRX’s Hospice-Specific ePrescribe is Better

BetterRX recognizes that hospice patients need to get their medications quickly to manage symptom relief. To do this, BetterRX built an ePrescribe solution that enables the hospice care team to order medications with half the steps in half the time. Today, BetterRX is the only ePrescribe solution built specifically for the hospice workflow, approved by the DEA, and certified by Surescripts.

The BetterRX ePrescribe solution is part of the BetterRX App, which uses artificial intelligence to guide the hospice care team to order the most cost-effective medications with the same therapeutic benefits. The BetterRX App creates connectivity between the hospice, their EMR, and their pharmacy so that prescriptions don’t get lost in the gaps, resulting in a smoother, faster process for ordering and receiving medications. BetterRX ePrescribe enables physicians to care for their hospice patients from anywhere, allowing them to review and sign prescriptions digitally wherever they may be. The solution also captures the digital prescriber’s signature for pharmacies and facilities simultaneously, eliminating the need to fax separate signed orders.

“We built our ePrescribing technology to help patients to be comfortable by streamlining the medication ordering process and eliminating disruptive activities like phone calls, faxes, and rejections.”

-Jared Stong, Founder/CEO BetterRX

Benefits for Pharmacies Serving Hospice

“We are a pharmacy filling for hospice, and BetterRX not only helps us ensure EPCS compliance, but BetterRX ePrescribe has completely streamlined the medication workflow with our hospices that use them. We appreciate it when a prescription shows up in our inbox from BetterRX because all of the information we need is included. We don’t have to place additional phone calls or ask questions regarding delivery schedules or medication coverage. Also, because their ePrescribe sends orders electronically, our pharmacists don’t have to stop what they’re doing to take phone orders. This has allowed our pharmacists to accomplish other tasks throughout the day.”

-Kevin C., RX Innovations

About BetterRX

BetterRX is a technology-driven hospice PBM (Pharmacy Benefit Manager) that uses its propriety artificial intelligence and hospice ePrescribing technology to dramatically improve patient comfort. BetterRX’s artificial intelligence engine provides over 244,000 evidence-based clinical recommendations for ordering, clinical effectiveness, and lower-cost alternatives. For more information, visit http://www.BetterRX.com.

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