CMS (Medicare) e-Prescribing update

The required tools are currently available in most stand-alone e-Prescribing products and many EHRs. SV

The final e-prescribing rule was placed on display at the Federal Register on April 2, 2008. The final rule provides three electronic tools for use in e-prescribing:

Formulary and benefit transactions: gives prescribers information about which drugs are covered by a Medicare beneficiary's prescription drug benefit plan.

Medication history transactions: provides prescribers with information about medications a beneficiary is already taking, including those prescribed by other providers, to help reduce the number of adverse drug events.

Fill Status notifications: allows prescribers to receive an electronic notice from the pharmacy telling them that a patient's prescription has been picked up, not picked up, or has been partially filled, to help monitor medication adherence in patients with chronic conditions.

The final rule also adopts the National Provider Identifier (NPI) for e-prescribing under Medicare Part D, and retires NCPDP SCRIPT 5.0 in favor of the upgraded NCPDP SCRIPT 8.1.


CMS Overview
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