Home Forums Discussions Feedback and Recommendations Putting .jpg/.bmp signature on scripts...

over the "electronically signed" part of the script, is there a way to put a scanned (.jpg or .bmp or anything) sig?

thanks all,dk

There is not currently a way to do this, but I have spoken with Jon and he was going to find some way to integrate this - I would hope he could do this so we could put it on orders, prescriptions as well as in letters, etc.

You should use the make improvements button in AC and send in a request - he looks at these for improvements.

If you printed to a pdf first, but that would be a couple of extra steps which wouldn't be worth it.

Personally, I always look at these things logically. If a phrase, "digitally signed by such and such," is accepted by most pharmacies, why would a stamp make any difference." I guess it would be one more step for the patient who was trying to forge it.

I think one of the most foolproof methods would be for each doctor to have a code such as a 16 digit code which would be on your cover page. Each pharmacy would have this code and could randomly check it especially on scripts they were wary of. Unless, a patient could see the cover page (and even then 16 digits -- even harder if different types of characters) it would be hard to quickly make a mental impression), they would have no way of reproducing it. And, of course, this number could be changed quarterly.

Bert- don't we kind of have that system with how faxes work? Obviously, one could set up any fax to say it is from any practice but doesn't the receiving fax have the ability to print the sending fax phone number on the top? Which seems somewhat secure- I would not know how to circumvent that one. The mailorder pharmacies such as Caremark all require faxed prescriptions be faxed from the prescriber's office- so a patient cannot fax in a signed written Rx (for many good reasons)- but Caremark must trust that their fax system is "reading" the originating fax as being legit from the prescriber's office.

Carla

Carla,

I am on your side. My point was putting "digitally signed by" and stamping a "signature" is not secure at all. My point was IF they are going to accept "digitally signed by," then they shouldn't require a stamped signature as it doesn't really add much.

I do think that faxes are more secure than handwritten scripts carried to the pharmacy (especially given the website at the bottom) and call in scripts which are the least secure. But, fax numbers of offices could easily be put on a fax coming from home. It generally has to be programmed in. A good example is the following:

Some larger offices have two, three or many phone lines out, but obviously only want one incoming number. So, they may have a main number of 555-1111 which is their fax number in and out. But, they then may have 555-2222, 555-3333 and 555-4444. They wouldn't want those fax numbers on the top of the page or they would have many faxes bounce back. So, each fax going out would still have the 555-1111 number on it.

Personally I also want this is so I can put it on letters, notes, etc without giving myself writer's cramp signing my name (I am just lazy about it) - I have one pharmacy giving me grief since they did not want my digitally signed without a written signature - I even sent them the law and they argued.......not sure anything will help. It is like the bureacrat who says initial on line 19 -- even if you sign all around it they want that spot filled.

So in reality, the big mail order pharmacies that require the Rx be faxed from the prescriber's office really cannot tell where they come from.

What a mess! Is there a secure fax system like secure email?

carla

Just looked for "secure" faxing- certainly is sold as a package - but does not take care of the issue of who is really sending the fax... and I guess secure email isn't foolproof re: that issue either. Both just encrypt during the passage. Bert, your ID system makes sense- as long as we don't have to pay for it ourselves! We should all be assigned an RSA secure ID system and we could use that as an add-on for faxes and emails to prove we are who we are- assuming we were not mugged or have lost our ID tag. Preferably, it would be a usb ID tag- just plug it in and it would automatically encode our faxes and emails!

carla

There are several mail order houses in Texas and Kansas I believe who say they will not accept digitally faxed scripts. They request no stamped signatures and demand "original signatures". However, they then ask that these forms be faxed back after signing. I tell them, the only way they will get an original signature is to send me the form and a self-addressed stamped envelope in the mail. Haven't had any problems from them since.

Leslie

that sounds like good idea, i'll even put "mandated by HIPAA" crapola after it too

Lesley: I use my .bmp signature stamp via paperport to send to the mailorder pharmacies that require handwritten signatures on their return faxes all the time. How can they tell the difference if it is faxed??? Have not had a single one returned.

carla