Electronic Prescribing Of Controlled Substances: Establishing A Secure, Auditable Chain Of Trust

The primary objective of the DEA Interim Final Rule (IFR) allowing electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS) is to help healthcare organizations reduce the potential for diversion, and subsequent abuse, of controlled medications. In accordance with this objective, the DEA IFR is designed to ensure that a provider is legally authorized to prescribe controlled substances and,thorough authentication credentialing, that only verified providers can order electronic prescriptions.

Imprivata Confirm ID™ helps organizations meet these requirements by establishing a secure, auditable chain of trust for the entire EPCS process. Imprivata Confirm ID streamlines provider identity proofing, supports supervised enrollment, and offers two-factor authentication for prescription signing. Imprivata Confirm ID meets regulatory requirements and gives care providers a fast, secure, and easy-to-use solution for prescribing controlled substances electronically.

This paper describes how Imprivata Confirm ID addresses the DEA authentication requirements for EPCS. Full compliance requires a combination of processes and technologies beyond the scope of this paper, however.