The Basics

This standard requires that your organization design its pharmaceutical dispensing system so as to support e-prescribing.  Your system must comply with the National Council for Prescription Drug Program requirements for standardized transactions.  The NCPDP provides pharmacies with unique identifiers.  In addition, the NCPDP provider identifier requires providers and druggists to use a national identifier to identify providers in connection with Medicare Part D.  In addition, your dispensing system must integrate with your drug management system.

Management Tips

While your organization almost assuredly uses the NCPDP approach to standard identifiers, management should make sure that this is well documented in the form of policies and procedures or program descriptions that describe in some detail how your organization manages electronic information exchange.

URAC Accreditation Tips

This standard is mandatory.   For the desktop review, you should submit the P&Ps or program description that describe the e-prescribing function in your organization. The onsite review is likely to involve both a demonstration of the e-prescribing system and an interview with pharmacists to confirm the system's implementation.