The Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances (EPCS) was proposed by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) as a way for medical practitioners to write electronic prescriptions (eRx) for narcotics and other controlled substances. The EPCS regulation also permits pharmacies to fill and dispense the controlled substances after receiving a qualified practitioner’s eRx. e-Prescribing is intended to reduce paperwork and costs for prescribers and pharmacists, as well as reduce prescription forgery and fraud, while integrating the prescription information into electronic health records (EHRs). Although the DEA legislated a solution for the electronic prescribing of controlled substances in 2010, the requirements in that rule are extensive, and therefore require an infrastructure that was not in place when the rule was passed into law. This new infrastructure impacts SureScripts®, the practitioner, and all of the retail pharmacies. In the next several months, that infrastructure may be ready for those providers who are highly motivated to prescribe controlled substances electronically. Continue reading…