The debate heated up yesterday over the future of e-prescribing as it relates to controlled substances. Many proponents of e-prescribing say adoption could be more widespread if doctors weren't so encumbered with the Drug Enforcement Administration rule that requires paper transmission of controlled substances.
Today at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing SureScripts CEO Kevin Hutchinson said the DEA rules are a major obstacle to physician adoption of e-prescribing. Hutchinson, who is also a member of the federal advisory panel on healthcare IT to the Department of Health and Human Services, said results of a SureScripts survey on the national progress of e-prescribing said allowing the e-prescribing of controlled substances would have an immediate positive impact on e-prescribing adoption.
"The inability to electronically prescribe controlled substances is one of the most frequently cited reasons for not e-prescribing," Hutchinson said. "Despite strong momentum and growth, this national asset is grossly underused - every time a paper prescription is written, it is a lost opportunity to improve patient care."
Hutchinson said that many physicians and pharmacists say the administrative burden of maintaining two processes - one for e-prescribing and paper for controlled substances -- is too great.
Joseph Rannazzisi, deputy assistant administrator for the Office of Diversion Control at the Drug Enforcement Administration said the DEA supports the use of technology to reduce medical errors, yet it must balance that with its legal responsibility to ensure there is a closed system of distribution for controlled substances. "In the absence of appropriate controls, allowing electronic prescriptions for controlled substances would certainly exacerbate a growing epidemic of prescription drug abuse in the United States," Rannazzisi said.
In conjunction with today's hearing, the e-Prescribing Controlled Substances Coalition urged President Bush to revise regulations that prohibit controlled drugs from being electronically prescribed.
The coalition, with members that include BlueCross BlueShield, CVS, the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists and Wal-Mart and Sage Software, said the regulations are negatively impacting the adoption of electronic prescribing.
"E-prescribing is safe and secure," said Michael Burger, director of clinical product management for Sage Software Healthcare. "We appreciate that the government's obligation is to safeguard public health, but the vast inefficiencies in our healthcare system are overlooked in the current regulations. E-Prescribing is one of the many remedies that could counteract such inefficiencies. The cost savings are immense and the need in our healthcare system is great."
Other findings of the SureScripts report show that in 2007, some 35 million prescription transactions will have been routed electronically in the United States. There were more electronic prescriptions in the first three quarters of 2007 than in 2004, 2005 and 2006 combined and more than 40,000 pharmacies are currently e-prescribing, representing 70 percent of U.S. pharmacies, the study said.