Scheduled Drug Routing
Scheduled drug routing is designated via: Tools -> Options -> Structured Rx -> Rx Transmission.
The options on the Scheduled Drugs tab allows users to individually define how various, prescribed meds of differing schedules will be handled. There is much confusion here. At a national level, electronic transfer of any scheduled medications is illegal in all states. However, many state pharmacy boards allow for direct, manual faxing of some scheduled meds.
NOTE: Users in almost every state have asked that we allow for initial faxing of scheduled meds (containing an image of their signature) from SOAPware. If you choose to do this, implement workflows to subsequently provide pharmacies with a signed, hard-copy, paper prescription as a follow-up. The DEA is likely to announce rules that will allow electronic transmission of scheduled meds sometime in 2011.
In Summary
Faxing is not considered to be e-prescribing. No e-prescribing in any state passes any type of signature. The authentication of the prescriber is inherent within the network managing the prescriptions, and so no signatures are involved. E-prescribing of non-scheduled meds, not containing physician signatures is now legal in all 50 states.
In contrast, faxing (which is not e-prescribing) of scheduled meds in all 50 states requires a hand-written, fresh signature.
However, some pharmacies, in some states will often accept a faxed prescription of a scheduled med that contains an image of a signature. It represents confusion that direct faxing from an EMR of scheduled med prescriptions is not legal, but happens anyway in some locales.
What makes this more confusing, and ridiculous, is that many pharmacies end up only being able to receive faxes of all meds, anyway, because they do not yet have software that can handle direct, electronic transfer.
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