Connecticut has become the fourth state, following New York, Maine, and Virginia, to mandate electronic prescribing of all opioid medication. On June 30, 2017, Connecticut Gov. Malloy signed the House Bill 7052, An Act Preventing Prescription Opioid Diversion and Abuse, which will go into effect on January 1, 2018. This bill was unanimously signed to take action against drug abuse in a state where on average, two people die each day because of drug overdose.
A few key points about Connecticut’s EPCS mandate:
- All controlled substances, CII-CV, are prescribed electronically regardless if it is to a human or animal
- Duration of the medication may not exceed a 5 day supply (minors) or 7 day supply (adults), unless exempt due to specified circumstances
- All electronically transmitted controlled prescriptions must be printed out in hardcopy or created as an electronic record and kept on file by the prescriber for a minimum of three years
- Controlled medications that cannot be transmitted electronically must be documented within a patient’s medical records with the reason a practitioner failed to submit the prescription within the 72 hour window of it being prescribed
Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances (EPCS) is a strong method of fighting against opioid abuse in the United States. Taking paper prescriptions out of the equation helps address drug diversion, fraud and doctor shopping. Electronic prescribing is a secure way to send prescriptions to the pharmacy to ensure that controlled substances are delivered in the correct quantity to the correct patient.
For over 19 years, RXNT|e-prescribing solution has been trusted by thousands of providers and staff to successfully transmit electronic prescriptions. With the addition of EPCS, RXNT was the first e-prescribing vendor to meet DEA and Surescripts requirements to enable prescribers to submit prescriptions from their Android or iOS devices. Our two-factor authentication process allows nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and other non-DEA certified staff to queue up controlled substance prescriptions for prescribers’ approval, to save time when electronically prescribing a controlled substance in an immediate situation.
Mandates do not need to be overwhelming. We are here to help! Let us help you meet the Connecticut Mandate. To learn more about how RXNT|e-prescribing has help thousands of prescribers meet the mandates in NY and ME, call us at 800-943-7968 option 3, email us at [email protected], or click “Request My Free Demo” below.