As NY demands paperless prescribing, doctors are mixed
Source: Associated Press
Mar 19, 3:23 PM EDT
As NY demands paperless prescribing, doctors are mixed
By JENNIFER PELTZ
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) -- The scribbled, cryptic doctor's prescription is headed toward eradication in New York, where the nation's toughest paperless-prescribing requirement takes effect this month.
Instead of handing patients slips of paper, physicians soon must electronically send orders directly to pharmacies for everything from antibiotics to cholesterol pills to painkillers, with some exceptions. Otherwise, prescribers face the possibility of fines, license loss or even jail.
The requirement is meant to fight painkiller abuse, reduce errors and expand a practice that doctors and patients often find convenient. But physicians say digital scripts can present roadblocks for some patients and doctors shouldn't have to fear punishment over a prescription format.
"When it works, it's seamless," says New York County Medical Society President Dr. Michael T. Goldstein, an ophthalmologist who issues many prescriptions electronically himself. "But there are circumstances where it doesn't work, and patients suffer."
Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_PAPERLESS_PRESCRIPTIONS_NYOL-?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-03-19-15-23-57
Archae
(46,262 posts)A doctor would sign a scrip pad, so the nurse could write out the scrips.
Those pads were worth their weight in gold on the street.
fullautohotdog
(90 posts)Worked well so far...
csziggy
(34,120 posts)For some of my prescriptions I have had to shop around to get the best price. For instance, a prescription I had last year cost me almost $300 at the pharmacy I usually got to but with a Good Rx coupon it was on $30 at CVS.
If I had to have the doctor send the prescription in electronically, I would have to contact my regular pharmacy for pricing AFTER the prescription had been submitted. If their price was high, then I would have to shop around (though GodRx.com makes that easy), have the prescription transferred to the lower price pharmacy and deal with the delay. I could see situations where the restrictions on opiods and other drugs would make transferring a prescription to a lower priced provider impossible.
Right now, my doctor's office does electronically submit (maybe fax) most prescriptions to my regular pharmacy - but if I request they will write a physical script that I can carry in when I decide where to have it filled.
progree
(10,864 posts)csziggy
(34,120 posts)They will send you email news updates about your medicines and you can quickly check prices for several pharmacies in your area.
Plus, you can get some great discounts on some medicines. Not all are discounted - my sister has a very expensive one and GoodRx.com did not have any discounts for it.
This year our new insurance has much better coverage for all my medicines - all but one is tier one and has the lowest co-pay. The other is tier two and is $23 a month - that's the one that was nearly $300 before! So I don't need GoodRx.com this year. Next year my husband and I go on Medicare so that may change.
progree
(10,864 posts)[font color = blue]>>Next year my husband and I go on Medicare<<[/font]
Me too, well, at the end of this year
highoverheadspace
(307 posts)As Joe Rogan said regarding pharmaceutical companies and their congressional tools "they don't mind people being on drugs, as long as they are their drugs".
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)All other scripts are electronic.
We have quickly learned to make our Dr. appts no later than Tuesday so we have the rest of the week to straighten out the apparently very very steep learning curve of the Dr.'s staff and the pharmacy staff in using computers.
Naturally they use a Windows program and naturally the program freezes if used more than 5 minutes, etc etc.
Interestingly, the pharmacy can fill the pain meds script and then deliver to the house.....
a side note...in a DU discussion of the new opioid laws, it was reported that some Dr.s make a patient do a blood test before they will refill the script.
Mr. Dixie could not figure out why.
I told him that a negative result would indicate the patient was selling the pills.
Without any hesitation Mr. Dixie said.." all you gotta do is take one the morning of the Dr. appt".
Exactly.....and if WE figured that out in a nano-second, surely the people selling their scripts have.
greymouse
(872 posts)Prescriptions for some pain meds have to be written and hand carried to the pharmacy. No more the doctor sends it in.
I'm not sure Mr. Dixie is correct, some meds build up in the blood over time. It may be that one pill wouldn't reach the blood level from sustained use.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)Not that we are planning anything, but having worked in the addiction field for many years, I was merely pointing out any one with half a brain could easily manage to test positive when they needed to and negative when they needed to, so having the Dr. act as the police, besides seriously damaging the Dr.-patient
relationship, would be ineffective for the stated purpose of curtailing illegal use.
DJ13
(23,671 posts)There have been multiple instances where either my Dr or my wife's Dr has made an error on either the dosage or quantity, but you never know until you finally pick up the prescription.
Then you have to go back to the Dr's office and get it changed.
With a written prescription at least you can (try) and read it before leaving the office.
At the least they need to give the patient a computer print out of the prescriptions sent to the pharmacy so it can be checked ahead of time.
kimbutgar
(20,882 posts)The doctors orders the med online and you then pick it up. You can request your prescription sent electronically. Also you get a paper record of what you are prescribed to check for accuracy.
progree
(10,864 posts)(for a common medication) and I made the trip to the pharmacy only to be told "sorry, come back tomorrow".
Since then I've learned that I can check both the clinic's computer (the clinic's MyAccount thingy has what was prescribed), and also the pharmacy's computer where the prescription was sent (CVS), to make sure it was done right. And I signed up for the pharmacy's text alerts that tell me when a prescription is ready to pick up.
It would also give me a heads-up if something new is prescribed -- I can check on whether it is expensive or not.
Thor_MN
(11,843 posts)Even if I'm not there for the purpose of adjusting meds, they print it when I get there, automatically. I also have it on their app on my phone. If there is a change, it's on my phone as soon as they update and send it to the pharmacy, as well as a new printout.
I much prefer having the digital prescription sent to the pharmacy, it's ready by the time I get there from the clinic. Instead of trying to decipher a scrawled, handwritten slip, it's unmistakable what and how much has been prescribed.
Skittles
(152,965 posts)it's been a long time
Igel
(35,197 posts)On the other hand, I've had to try to specify which pharmacy I would pick up the script at. Hard, when you don't know the area between you and the doctor.
Or you describe it correctly, but don't have the address. Doctor send script to wrong pharmacy.
Or pharmacy was out of the med. Oops.
Or worse, pharmacy was authorized to use generic. But was out of generic, so you get brand-name. Ouch.
Or wrong dosage. Entered in wrong by doctor. Or nurse.
Or electronic prescription functionality was down through Internet or software error. "Sorry, it'll take a day or two to fix." "Can't you call it in?" "No." "No paper prescription?" "No. It'll take a day or two to fix. Call the pharmacy to see if the script went through." Argh.
My favorite time was when I had a doctor's appointment just before leaving town. Got prescription. Could have filled it elsewhere, but it had to be electronic. Didn't have time to get it filled, had to travel and arrange to have it transferred. Then return to the pharmacy when it was transferred and filled.
Every right imposes an obligation. Every "fix" imposes some burden. It's a question of who benefits and who pays for that benefit.
oldandhappy
(6,719 posts)Doc puts Rx in the computer and I stop at the drug store on the way home and pick it up. Easy.
JustABozoOnThisBus
(23,283 posts)then you can shop around.
Or (for those of us in the cold north), you can drive over to Canada and get it filled cheaper.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)When you go in to pick it up, you can open the bag and examine the bottle, and you know the price at the same time, so if price is too much, ask them to hold
script, and check out other sources.
If you find a better source, you can ask your current pharmacy if they will match it,
If not, the pharmacy you want to buy it from asks your old pharmacy for the script, and fills it.
Most of us who get regular scripts know them, we have the old bottle with that info, and we know the prices, so it is pretty easy to call elsewhere and comparison shop.
Granted, living in a small town as i do, it is pretty easy to do the above.
Not as easy in a city, but in a city , there is more price competition.
greymouse
(872 posts)you have to bring in your insurance cards so the other pharmacies can run it through. That can cause a rejection rather than a price to pop out if the other place has already filled it.