E-prescribing and the DEA
According to recent federal data, nearly 7 million Americans abuse prescription drugs which is up 84% from 3.8 million in 2000.
And according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 33 million Americans are estimated to have used prescription painkillers for nonmedical reasons in their lifetime.
These increased abuses have caused enhanced security and verification procedures when writing and verifying prescriptions.
The prescription pad has become much more security-minded and e-prescribing is following similar paths.
As of now, physicians cannot utilize e-prescribing for controlled substances. This is very unfortunate because e-prescribing is quicker, more accurate and much more difficult to abuse than prescription pads.
But a recent proposed rule by the Drug Enforcement Administration would allow physicians to electronically prescribe drugs like Adderall, OxyContin and Vicodin after the doctors submit to a battery of security controls to help ensure against unauthorized prescriptions.
The rule, released in late June, not only affects doctors, hospitals and pharmacies, but also brings into the fold federal or state law enforcement officials and third-party auditors in an effort to ensure that the process is safe and secure.
As you can imagine, this increased oversight will come with additional cost. But no one dares to mention this or offer advice on who will pay for it.
"DEA believes that in-person identity proofing is critical to the security of the electronic prescribing of controlled substances," the rule states. "Ensuring that only licensed and registered practitioners are granted the authority to sign electronic prescriptions for controlled substances is the first step to maintaining the overall security of the electronic prescribing system for these substances."
With the above statements in mind, Pharmacists would be required on a weekly basis to verify that the doctors doing the prescribing are still licensed and in good standing. They will also be required to keep an electronic record of the prescriptions and would be required to notify the DEA within 24-hours of a security breach.
Still, another provision would hold the physician accountable if the e-prescribing system being used is stolen or lost and not reported quickly to the agency.
No where have I seen the DEA talk about increased criminal charges to those who actually break the law.
Safe and secure e-prescribing of controlled substances should be permitted and it should be done sooner rather than later.
Those individuals who break the law should be held accountable.
Physicians and pharmacies will continue to provide quality medical care, but adding additional costs, burden and oversight to an already complex system is not the best solution.
If this new rule doesn't allow for the seamless transition between systems for e-prescribing controlled drugs, if it's not cost-effective and relatively simple to implement, and if it doesn't improve the overall efficiency of the system, providers likely won't adopt this new technology and it will be another experiment in futility.
The goal should be to put in place an electronic prescribing system that is efficient, medically beneficial to patients and prescribers, and provide security from hackers and others who might seek to engage in fraudulent prescribing activities.
Adding more oversight and work to offices and pharmacies is not the best way to address the e-prescribing issue.
And according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 33 million Americans are estimated to have used prescription painkillers for nonmedical reasons in their lifetime.
These increased abuses have caused enhanced security and verification procedures when writing and verifying prescriptions.
The prescription pad has become much more security-minded and e-prescribing is following similar paths.
As of now, physicians cannot utilize e-prescribing for controlled substances. This is very unfortunate because e-prescribing is quicker, more accurate and much more difficult to abuse than prescription pads.
But a recent proposed rule by the Drug Enforcement Administration would allow physicians to electronically prescribe drugs like Adderall, OxyContin and Vicodin after the doctors submit to a battery of security controls to help ensure against unauthorized prescriptions.
The rule, released in late June, not only affects doctors, hospitals and pharmacies, but also brings into the fold federal or state law enforcement officials and third-party auditors in an effort to ensure that the process is safe and secure.
As you can imagine, this increased oversight will come with additional cost. But no one dares to mention this or offer advice on who will pay for it.
"DEA believes that in-person identity proofing is critical to the security of the electronic prescribing of controlled substances," the rule states. "Ensuring that only licensed and registered practitioners are granted the authority to sign electronic prescriptions for controlled substances is the first step to maintaining the overall security of the electronic prescribing system for these substances."
With the above statements in mind, Pharmacists would be required on a weekly basis to verify that the doctors doing the prescribing are still licensed and in good standing. They will also be required to keep an electronic record of the prescriptions and would be required to notify the DEA within 24-hours of a security breach.
Still, another provision would hold the physician accountable if the e-prescribing system being used is stolen or lost and not reported quickly to the agency.
No where have I seen the DEA talk about increased criminal charges to those who actually break the law.
Safe and secure e-prescribing of controlled substances should be permitted and it should be done sooner rather than later.
Those individuals who break the law should be held accountable.
Physicians and pharmacies will continue to provide quality medical care, but adding additional costs, burden and oversight to an already complex system is not the best solution.
If this new rule doesn't allow for the seamless transition between systems for e-prescribing controlled drugs, if it's not cost-effective and relatively simple to implement, and if it doesn't improve the overall efficiency of the system, providers likely won't adopt this new technology and it will be another experiment in futility.
The goal should be to put in place an electronic prescribing system that is efficient, medically beneficial to patients and prescribers, and provide security from hackers and others who might seek to engage in fraudulent prescribing activities.
Adding more oversight and work to offices and pharmacies is not the best way to address the e-prescribing issue.
Labels: D.E.A., e-prescribing
posted by Anonymous at 5:53 AM
1 Comments:
My name is Amy Rollins and i would like to show you my personal experience with Adderall.
I have taken for 1 years. I am 20 years old. I have better luck with Adderall 20MG non-extended release than I do with Adderall XR 10MG, which is what I am prescribed. The XR wears off before the day is over, which leaves you with an awful crash to deal with. (Obviously, if you'd like to sleep regularly you shouldn't take another...so crashing off this particular dosage is almost inevitable.) They say you should drink caffeine towards the end of the day to try to ward off the symptoms of coming down off this drug.
Side Effects :
loss of appetite,dry mouth,insomnia,bad crash after about 7 hours,fidgety,rapid heartbeat,more productive,if taken for months regularly I start to feel less like myself,lower sex drive.
I hope this information will be useful to others,
Amy Rollins
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