Winston-Salem, N.C., Aug. 25, 2015 – Providers at Novant Health are now issuing electronic prescriptions for controlled substances in North Carolina, providing greater security and convenience for patients. Novant Health is the one of the first healthcare systems in North Carolina to offer the benefit to patients of electronic prescriptions for controlled substances (EPCS). It plans to roll out the program systemwide by year’s end.
“The new EPCS program is about meeting regulatory compliance with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and state agencies, as well as creating greater convenience for our patients,” said Dr. Keith Griffin, the co-chief medical information officer of the Novant Health medical group. “Patients will find that filling their controlled substance prescriptions is much more convenient. They will no longer have to wait for a printed copy at the provider’s office and then wait for it to be filled at a pharmacy.”
EPCS also saves times for providers. Using Imprivata’s new two-factor authentication system called MyID, which includes a fingerprint reader, providers can submit prescriptions for controlled substance medications to pharmacies quickly and securely.
The electronic prescriptions are processed by Surescripts, a secure third-party processor of prescriptions between providers and pharmacies. “The system combines the technology of our Epic electronic medical record, Imprivata and Surescripts to provide a seamless and safe approach for prescribing, transmitting and processing of prescriptions,” said Dave Garrett, senior vice president and chief information officer at Novant Health.
“It makes life easier for pharmacists and providers as well by eliminating the need to manually enter information into a database which reduces the risk for human error,” said Becky Bean, PharmD, director of Novant Health’s population health pharmacy.
Additional benefits of the EPCS program include greater safety as a result of improved legibility of provider prescriptions and fewer medication errors.
Medical studies also show that patients with e-prescriptions follow drug treatment plans more and that e-prescribing saves on healthcare costs because of improved patient outcomes and reduced medical visits.
About Novant Health
Novant Health is a four-state integrated network of physician clinics, outpatient centers and hospitals that delivers a seamless and convenient healthcare experience to our communities. Novant Health consists of more than 1,200 physicians and 25,000 employees who make healthcare remarkable at nearly 500 locations, including 14 medical centers and hundreds of outpatient facilities and physician clinics. Headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Novant Health is committed to making healthcare remarkable for patients and communities, serving more than 4 million patients annually. In 2014, Novant Health provided more than $639 million in community benefit including charity care and services. Novant Health is ranked as one of the nation’s top 20 integrated delivery networks by IMS Health.
For more information, please visit our website at NovantHealth.org. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
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