eRx Software Must-Haves: EPCS, CancelRx and More
E-prescribing has become indispensable to doctors all around the country, especially as numerous practices have embraced a remote care model, in many cases as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even providers who work primarily in person can benefit from an efficient eRx software. However, sifting through all of the offerings on the market can lead you down a frustrating path of choice overload.
To help you get in front of your search, we spoke with psychiatrist and DrChrono user Dr. Daniel Collins from the remote-first mental healthcare organization, Ahead. Ahead was founded in 2019 with the goal of modernizing mental healthcare, so if you’re looking to bring your practice into 2022, they’ve set a strong example on how to get there. Dr. Collins joined Ahead in September of 2021, and in that time, he has taken quickly to the DrChrono system and its eRx workflows.
“It’s totally user friendly even for new providers. I think it’s a fairly easy platform to start up using compared to some of the other EMRs out there that are fairly complicated,” Dr. Collins said. This blog in addition to Dr. Collins’ experience can help you better understand how a user-friendly EMR and eRx software can simplify operations at your practice.
What is eRx software?
Before learning about the optimal features for e-prescribing, we wanted to share an eRx overview here. eRx software, also known as e-prescribing or electronic prescribing, can be integrated with an EHR or operate as a standalone software. E-prescribing allows providers to send out prescriptions electronically from their EHR or other software to a patient’s preferred pharmacy for fulfillment.
From this system, providers should be able to select medications, set dosages and frequency of usage, as well as view insurance coverage for the prescribed treatment. In the best eRx software, this will all be fast and easy to navigate, saving your practice time along the way.
What should I look for in an eRx software?
Standard eRx Workflows
Identifying the best eRx software workflow is the first step towards narrowing down your search for a platform. Ideally, any medical software you use will sit snugly in the intersection of functionality and ease of use. Dr. Collins found that DrChrono provides a rather frictionless e-prescribing experience with helpful safeguards to cut down on mistakes.
“The dropdown menu has all the medications you need. You put in a few letters of the drug, and it comes up right away along with information about the long acting versus immediate release and the doses. Then you just click on it for the effective date and the diagnosis.
Simply make a few clicks, double check your work before you hit send, and you’re done. DrChrono also has several ways to make sure that the medication is ordered correctly before you actually hit send, which is nice,” said Dr. Collins.
CancelRx
One major inefficiency in the process of prescribing medications is canceling orders at pharmacies, whether that be due to a mistake or just as a natural part of a process like titration. Calling pharmacies can be very time consuming, but a CancelRx feature in your EHR or eRx software can streamline that process.
“The MAs or myself no longer have to go around calling pharmacies, and often it’s hard just to get a hold of a pharmacy. Now that I’ve used CancelRx a couple of times, it seems to really work. I go back in an hour or a day later, and the canceled prescriptions are confirmed as canceled by the pharmacy,” he said.
CancelRx has the potential to simplify important processes like titration that could otherwise result in multiple calls to the pharmacy for cancellations.
“If you preorder, for example, a patient’s medication for three months, you may have to cancel by the second month because the patient can’t tolerate the dose. That means you need to cancel those other months before you make a new order. It’s especially important to cancel your orders with controlled substances and to see that the cancellation goes through effectively,” Dr. Collins said.
When it comes to running your medical practice, shaving off those minutes of busy work can make quite a difference over the course of your work week.
EPCS (Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances)
Speaking of controlled substances, providers like Dr. Collins who prescribe those kinds of medications for their patients need an EPCS compliant software to securely enable that process. Your eRx software should be fully compliant with DEA, NIST and Surescripts requirements, so that you can send your prescriptions from anywhere with the highest level of security and fraud protection.
Preventing prescription drug abuse and fraud is of the utmost importance, so your EHR or eRx platform needs safeguards to help identify and avoid potential issues. One way to reduce drug abuse is by having greater visibility into a patient’s complete drug prescription history. Providers can also avoid doctor shoppers with built-in monitoring tools in the systems.
Conclusion
Navigating the wide world of medical software can quickly grow tiresome, but it will be worth it when you find the best EHR or eRx software for your practice. Finding the right EHR with the most effective eRx function will not only make life easier for your current providers, it might even serve as a powerful recruiting tool.
“I previously was in a job helping doctors with using their EMR at various hospitals or clinics, so I was familiar with the stress and anxiety related to EMRs. That’s why DrChrono was a big reason why I actually joined Ahead. You can really tell when you use it that providers were involved in the development of DrChrono,” said Dr. Collins.
These tools have a large impact on your practice beyond just their immediate use which is why it is so important to find the right fit. Hopefully, the information in this article and the experience outlined by Dr. Collins can provide some helpful guidance for your practice.