Home Forums Discussions Feedback and Recommendations E-scribing Controlled Substances

The DEA and my state(GA) allow for e-prescribing of controlled substances. What is the status of being able to do this in Amazing Charts?

We all have so much to do with meaningful use and not e-scribing hurt s on those reports. In addition, the time saving, better record keeping etc would be so much better especially for small practices like mine.

Upgrading Hydrocodone to Schedule Two is just one more wrench in this monkey business of Meaningful Use and everything else between me and my patients.

Thank you for your time and attention.

Ann Thomas, MD

I agree. And, now Ultram is a CIII.

It is like when we were in first grade and someone threw a pencil at the teacher and everyone was punished.

Because some divert scripts, then all of the good patients (which is many more) get punished. Beside the fact that ePrescribing is more secure than faxing, calling or giving a script to a patient.

To show how INSECURE phone calls are, I had a patient admitted for pancreatitis who as he improved I decreased the IV dilaudid. He then called the nursing station from his room and increased it back up. The next day, when he denied doing it and blamed it on nursing error. So the patient did it AGAIN, and I had to get nursing supervisors involved to stop this.

I also had an Rx pad stolen and recovered by police in a "drug house".

It amazes me how easy it is to call in or fake a fax and yet eRx is not available.

BTW I am NOT in "pain management" by a long shot.

go two factor. if google can do it so can we. right.

I am confused. There is a hospital that allows patients to call and increase their own medications?

Two factor is the way to go. Updox even does it to confirm your identity on the new Secure interface. A simple text to your phone with a code that you have to enter gives plenty of security:
- you have the software activated for eprescribing.
- you have the password to get into that software.
- you have a phone identified as belonging to the physician sending the prescription.
- you have a communication from the eprescribing company with another password
- further, I have the Windows password to get into our computers

Does that "two factor" routine have to be employed for every prescription, every transmission (i.e. a patient receives multiple prescriptions, but only one "two-factor" security check) or can we sign in once a day?

Multiple checks of the cell phone for a security code is going to be a real pain.

I'm not sure. I have never spoken to anyone who actually has been able to eprescribe controlled substances on other systems, which I am told really do exist somewhere. My guess would be any time a controlled substance is prescribed, otherwise you wouldn't need two factor ID.

I know I always say this, but I just have a hard time refraining. I think we should be able to prescribe Oxycontin the same way we prescribe Zantac. The only thing would be that MAs, etc. couldn't prescribe them. I simply don't see how faxing Klonopin is any safer and certainly calling them in is a lot less fool proof. I guess printing a prescription is 100% secure.

I was not aware Georgia allowed e-rx for controlled substances

Actually, I am glad that scheduled II drugs have to be printed on a script. We make the patients come in each month to pick them up and often surprise them with a request for a drug screen. They have to sign a medication management contract with us and so, if their drug screen is inconsistent with their prescribed medications, then I have cause to dismiss them from my practice. Also, so surprising how many who say they cannot afford their medications seem to be able to afford THC products.

Indiana has a very high rate of prescription drug abuse and the county I am in now is awful. Seems like I am single-handedly trying to undo what the docs here over the decades have done to addict the population.

Grouchy this morning.

I easily write 50+ scripts a week for hydrocodone for postop pain. And now hydrocodone is a class II so I need to use triplicate prescriptions which you have to purchase from the state. Now my only option is tylenol with codeine and tramadol / apap which are class III. At least class III scripts can just be printed through ac and given to the patient. I have never had triplicate scripts in 18 years of practice and I certainly will not get one now. Is there any chance AC will ever be able to e-script controlled substances?

You never write for oxycodone?

Hmm...
I do not recall ever prescribing oxycodone.

We could not exist without a Star Printer. We write a lot of Norco but also a lot of oxycodone and other narcotics. Not as much oxycontin but some. Tylenol with codeine almost exclusively for cough. We rarely print to regular AC 8 1/2 by 11 paper since we have so much Medicaid.