E-Scrip Rule for Controlled Substances Issued
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), an agency of the Department of Justice, issued a proposed rule which will allow for electronic prescribing of controlled substances. News of the rule was noted by Health Data Management. As noted on HospitalBuyer just last week, this rule has been much anticipated.
The DEA has been considering modification of the rules for prescription of controlled substances since March 2001. At that time, the agency announced plans to issue a proposed rule. However, the agency was unable to act on this plan until four years later, when an assessment of the previous rules commenced.
Previous reports, noted on HospitalBuyer, estimate that controlled substances account for almost one-fifth of all prescriptions doled out to patients. The DEA, on the other hand, estimates that they actually account for ten to eleven percent of prescriptions dispensed annually.
One of the factors that propelled the agency to action was the ongoing pressure on clinicians to begin utilizing electronic prescribing tools. Studies have noted that the rate of adoption is simply lagging. Physicians in smaller practices struggle because of the cost associated with adopting the technology.
The healthcare community, particularly advocates for the incorporation of information technology tools, have pressured the DEA and President Bush to allow prescribing of controlled substances. The e-Prescribing Controlled Substances Coalition sent a letter to the President advocating for these activities, as noted on HospitalBuyer.
July 1, 2008 Related topics: Legal & legislative, Trends, IT & software