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Here's How Your Meds Will Be Affected by NY's New E-Prescription Rules

By Nicole Levy | March 25, 2016 1:12pm | Updated on March 28, 2016 8:38am
 You'll be taking way fewer paper prescriptions to your pharmacy after this weekend.
You'll be taking way fewer paper prescriptions to your pharmacy after this weekend.
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Starting this Sunday, your doctor will be required to send your prescription to the drugstore electronically, instead of handing you a handwritten paper note formats — or face possible penalties such as fines and professional discipline.

The change, a result of the I-STOP (Internet System for Tracking Overprescribing) bill passed in 2012, is primarily intended to curb prescription drug abuse, a growing problem fueled in part by cases of prescription fraud in which patients modify pill quantities, forge prescriptions on stolen pads or sell those already written.

While many doctors have transitioned over to the new protocol, their ranks growing rapidly this month, they're still still far from reaching 100 percent compliance, according to industry experts.

Just 47 percent of doctors statewide were set up to send electronic prescriptions for controlled substances — such as narcotics, stimulants and depressants — as of Thursday, according to Surescripts, the company running the primary network for routing e-prescriptions. Those drugs fall under stricter regulation by the federal government and entail an extra security step, officials said.

However, 70 percent of the state’s 102,000 prescribers were equipped to send non-controlled substance prescriptions electronically by Thursday, a Surescripts representative said.

So what does that mean for you? DNAinfo has collected some answers to the most commonly-asked questions about the new process:

► My doctor wrote me a paper prescription before March 27, but I won't have a chance to fill it until after Sunday. Will my pharmacy accept it then?

Most likely yes.

The New York State Department of Health has advised pharmacists that prescriptions that were written prior to March 27 “may be honored,” an agency spokeswoman said in an email. 

As for paper prescriptions written after March 27, those may be excused under a number of exceptional circumstances and such scenarios as power outages and technical failures.

Pharmacies that receive written prescriptions after Sunday aren’t required to verify their authenticity if they fall under one of the listed exceptions (see list above), but they could be on the hook if it’s a controlled substance they’re dispensing.

► My doctor isn't set up to e-prescribe. Should I find another physician?

The New York State Department of Health says that's not necessary. 

"With more than 69,000 prescribers already complying statewide and more registering to use the software every day, it’s highly likely that patients’ doctors are already submitting prescriptions electronically,” the agency spokesperson said.

► Is my go-to pharmacy ready to accept e-prescriptions?

Yes.

According to Surescripts, roughly 95 percent of pharmacies in New York State were set up to receive electronic prescriptions by Feb. 29, and 94 percent were equipped to manage e-prescriptions for controlled medications, including narcotics, stimulants and depressants, by that date.

► I want to shop around for a good price on my medication. Can I still do that?

Yes.

"Patients seeking the best prices for their medications can still comparison-shop before asking their doctor to send their prescriptions to their preferred pharmacy," the governor's office said in a statement last week.

► My doctor sent my e-prescription to my usual pharmacy, but my medication isn't in stock and I need it now. What happens next?

If the pharmacy you asked your doctor to send your prescription to doesn't have your medication, your doctor will have to cancel it by phone and prescribe it again. 

Your pharmacist will probably oblige you by calling your doctor's office.