Point-of-Care Partners To Simplify ePrescribing Regulatory Compliance for Leading EHR and Technology Companies

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla., Feb. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Point-of-Care Partners, a leading national health information technology (HIT) strategy and management consulting firm, is pleased to welcome the following healthcare technology companies as the latest subscribers to its ePrescribing State Law Review: Cerner, NextGen, DrFirst, Practice Fusion and AssistRx. 

The ePrescribing State Law Review will help these companies proactively identify system modifications that may be needed to address ongoing state and federal regulatory changes.

How medications are prescribed, dispensed, and administered in the United States is rapidly changing. Electronic prescribing is now the predominant means of prescribing non-controlled medications and, in 2015, it became legal to electronically prescribe controlled substances in all 50 states and DC.  

States are changing how medications are prescribed. Big drivers: #EHRs, Mid-Level Prescribers and #PDMP programs. @pocpHIT" [Tweet this]

In New York, prescribers must fully transition to ePrescribing by March 27, 2016, or face penalties under the I-STOP Law.  I-STOP or "Internet System for Tracking Over Prescribing" requires that all medications dispensed in New York, including controlled substances, be transmitted electronically to the pharmacy via a certified e-prescribing or electronic health record (EHR) tool. Numerous other state legislatures are passing laws that require use of electronic standards to improve patient access to medications, reduce prescription drug abuse and improve healthcare delivery.

"In addition to DEA rules, each state has an ever-changing set of regulations which ePrescribing vendors must follow in order to be compliant. Noncompliance with this complex web of rules results in frustrated prescribers who lose confidence in their vendors and systems," said Connie Sinclair, POCP's Regulatory Resource Center Director. "We are increasingly seeing new legislation related to prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), controlled substance ePrescribing and mid-level prescribers, which makes it difficult for vendors to manage compliance without a partner."

With the ePrescribing State Law Review, POCP does the tedious work of weeding through copious statutes and regulations to find what is relevant to EHR and technology companies, providing an easy-to-read, summarized table of state-by-state rules. In addition, subscribers have access to POCP's regulatory experts who can assist with questions and issues related to state and Federal regulatory requirements regarding prescribing. 

"The product, customer support and regulatory teams we serve use our regulatory information to stay abreast of regulatory changes that are relevant to their clients, and as an important piece of future product planning activities," said Tony Schueth, CEO and managing partner.  "Missed regulatory changes can result in frustrated prescribers, negatively impact reputation and require costly last minute product updates. We inform our Law Review clients of pending and enacted regulations as soon as they are published, well in advance of deadlines and before hot fixes are needed to address customer complaints." 

About Point-of-Care Partners
POCP is a health IT management consulting firm with in-depth expertise in ePrescribing, eMedication and eCare management, health information exchange, multi-stakeholder initiatives and other programs requiring health IT project management. For more information, go to www.pocp.com or email [email protected].

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SOURCE Point-of-Care Partners

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