The Impact Of Electronic Prescribing Of Controlled Substances On Meaningful Use
As Meaningful Use (MU) requirements for e-prescribing become more stringent and the volume of controlled substance prescriptions continue to rise, implementing electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS) is becoming more critical for organizations to meet MU Stage 2 requirements.
Enabling EPCS can increase e-prescribing rates by eliminating dual workflows
Electronic prescribing is a core measure of Meaningful Use (MU). In Stage 2, eligible providers must process more than 50 percent of prescriptions electronically using a certified electronic health record (EHR) program. Because the MU criteria was established prior to the DEA’s interim final rule allowing EPCS, including controlled substances in the e-prescribing calculation is optional, but not required. However, the increased volume of controlled substance prescriptions may make it difficult to achieve the 50 percent e-prescribing threshold for non-controlled substances without implementing EPCS.
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