Under DEA regulations that took effect June 1, e-prescribing of controlled substances is now permitted in the United States. All the dust has not yet settled, however; APhA joined with other pharmacy associations to suggest ways that the process could be improved. In addition, software developers may need at least a year  to make the updates to computer systems that will allow prescribers to transmit scheduled medication orders, intermediaries to process the prescriptions, and pharmacies to receive them.

DEA has been moving for years toward allowing e-prescribing of controlled substances. The latest push began in June 2008 when the agency announced its intention to create an alternative to manual prescriptions. After the February 2009 economic stimulus act created incentives for increased use of health information technology by physicians, pressure increased for DEA to offer a structure for e-prescribing.

As pointed out in the article, pharmacists may not have to opportunity review a electronically submitted controlled substance prescription for 6-12 months, until this new process has sufficient time to be implemented. However, this is a long overdue - and welcome - policy change.

For additional information from the DEA, navigate your browser to the following site: http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/ecomm/e_rx/index.html

Walgreens pharmacies filled a record 3.1 million prescriptions electronically in March, about 15 percent of all the drugstore chain's eligible prescriptions and a 211 percent increase compared with March of last year.

Walgreens estimates it will fill more than 40 million electronic prescriptions this year compared with 15 million filled in 2008. The company expects growth to continue, as the federal government in January began providing financial incentives for doctors to transmit prescriptions electronically for Medicare patients. In exchange, the doctors will earn a 2 percent bonus on their covered Medicare reimbursements.

Also, the recently signed federal stimulus package should sharply bolster electronic prescribing throughout the United States by providing $36 billion in incentives to clinics and medical offices to adopt electronic health records. A core component of the upgraded technology will allow doctors access to software that makes electronic prescribing possible.

Source
Walgreens