Home Forums Discussions Problems Any way to get pharmacies to stop faxing RX's???

We are up and ready to receive escribes through AC. It actually works quite well and it is much easier than faxing over prescriptions. The problem is, many pharmacies continue faxing us instead of escribing us. I'm not sure what they have to do to change over. I assume it is a different process altogether, and they just need to be "reminded" to escribe instead of fax? I'm actually thinking about refusing to fax them and making them escribe them. Any ideas are appreciated.

David Lee, MD
IM
Dallas, TX

You probably need to contact the pharmacy and let them know eprescribing is easier for all involved.

Although they have to pay to receive e-Rxes, it prepopulates their fields so it cuts down on their time to process. It's easier for them as well.

We don't complete the fax, just use eRx to make the refill. Most of the pharmacies, including the PBMs like Medco & Caremark are starting to only eRx us, but it took several months. Some of the pharmacies (after talking to the staff there) will likely never "get it".

The faxes are still useful for controlled meds, until DEA gets its act together to allow controlled meds by eRx. When h*ll freezes over, most likely.

Yes, we do it like John does. Even if they send a fax, we just eRx back. It is much quicker and it also provides better documentation of the prescription in the patient's chart (med list) than returning the fax.

I would take the fax, write "e-prescribe only" in bold letters (or make up a stamp, even better) and send it back. Nothing like a profit incentive to motivate change.

ok, I am sending erx's, but which version do I need to use and just how do I set up the system so the pharmacies can electronically ask me to refill rather than fax...paper and printing costs are killing all of us...I have 5k of patients in AC and this would help

Contact ac support and they will hook it up fit you. Then after 5 rx's that are sent you will be activated. Works on version 5 as well.

Thanks...sounds like fun....

Every pharmacist I talk to seems clueless. Do they have to put it in the system differently? They say they just send it, and the fax gets converted to an escribe. Is this correct, or do they actually have to put it in the system differently? Thanks.

David Lee, MD
IM
Dallas, TX

I spoke to CVS Caremark regarding this. They told me that there were 2 different erx Hubs that merged. Their 2 computer systems still need to merge and that will take well into 2012. I find that MEDCO, TARGET and RITE AID are compatible with the NEWCROPS system so they can send renewal requests electronically. CVS and Caremark are on a different system and we will only receive fax refill requests from them. The pharmacies are correct that they only send it 1 way. We can only receive electronic requests from systems that are the same as the system used by Newcrops prior to the Hubs merging. Again, this will not be corrected until well into 2012.

Well, if you dont put your fax number on your scripts they won't fax you. Too bad I didnt think of that until now. I'm so sick of the faxes.

Perhaps this is obvious and you are all aware of it, but I just realized it:
I prescribe omeprazole for myself. I didn't need a refill yet but the pharmacy faxed a refill request to my office. I had (naively) assumed that the patient initiated all of these refill requests; now I realize it is that the pharmacy "thinks it is time" for them to get more. Whether they need it or not.

Jon, you realize that as a gastroenterologist, it is ironic that you take a PPI.

At the risk of aggravating Bert, the quote-meister:

But I only take it because my pharmacist says that I should.

Well then, that's okay...it must be on the PBM formulary!

Yeah we knew. We found out when the local pharmacy kept sending us renewal faxes for a patient that move out of state 2 years previously. Another patient had moved locally and changed pharmacies. But the initial pharmacy kept sending automatically generated computerized faxes for renewals. This is just to help their revenue screen. They don't care if the patient really needs tobe seen and monitored...its about getting that patient to come to them and buy their drugs.