With the previous deadline of March 27, 2015 looming, the NYS Senate and Assembly sent a bill delaying implementation of the e-prescribing mandate to Gov. Andrew Cuomo on March 2. Waiting until the last minute. Gov. Cuomo signed the bill late on March 13th (see http://www.newsday.com/news/health/gov-cuomo-signs-bill-to-delay-mandatory-e-prescribing-for-a-year-1.10058677 ). This will delay the e-prescribing mandate until March 27, 2016. However, all medical providers in NYS, including dentists, should continue to work towards implementing e-prescribing so as to be ready prior to the new deadline.
Keep in mind that ALL NYS providers prescribing controlled substances are required to register with the NYS Department of Health “Health Commerce System” for the Prescription Monitoring Program. The PMP is completely separate from electronic prescribing, has been in effect for over a year, and must be used PRIOR to creating any prescription for Schedule II-V drugs. For the NYS HCS see https://commerce.health.state.ny.us/public/hcs_login.html .
Over a year ago BRS Dental partnered with DrFirst to offer dentists an integrated solution incorporating Rcopia (see http://www.drfirst.com/products/rcopia/rcopia-eprescribing-physicians/ ). By using an integrated solution, our clients avoid having to re-enter patient demographic information when adding or checking patient prescriptions. Rcopia includes the capability to check for appropriate dosage, view existing prescriptions from other medical providers, and screen for allergies and drug interactions. Those providers that might need to prescribe controlled substances can comply with the requirements in NY and most other states for Electronic Prescription of Controlled Substances via EPCS Gold (see http://www.drfirst.com/products/epcs-gold/epcs-gold-physicians/ ), which is compliant with New York State and almost all other states’ regulatory requirements. Contact BRS Dental for more information on our integrated solution for electronic prescribing, or see our web site page at https://brsdental.com/treatment/drfirst-e-prescribing .