2020 has seen massive growth for telemedicine due to the pandemic. Many much-needed policy changes have been put in place in response, including allowing prescribers to prescribe both non-controlled and controlled medications to patients without first seeing them in person during the public health emergency. The CDC has also issued guidelines recommending telehealth to expand access to essential health services during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Stay tuned as we will dive further into the policies and other proposed changes next week. In this post, we focus on the many benefits of e-prescribing in telemedicine.

The increase in patient access to healthcare via telemedicine is a powerful tool, one that appears to be highly desired by patients. A recent report presented by the Department of Health and Human Services detailed that 43.5% of Medicare fee-for-service primary care visits were conducted via Telemedicine in April of this year, up from just .1% of visits in February before the public health crisis had been declared.

Electronic prescribing has many advantages for prescribers practicing telemedicine and telehealth. Sending prescriptions electronically can drastically improve a prescriber’s workflow by being able to transmit prescriptions to the pharmacy quickly and efficiently, avoiding the traditional stresses of mailing a paper prescription, making phone calls, or dealing with pages of faxes so that remote patients can receive their medications.

Here are five ways MDToolbox offers one of the best e-Prescribing software services to save telemedicine practices time & money:

1. Electronic prescribing will improve the safety and quality of care that providers can provide patients.

E-prescribing can reduce drug errors by eliminating handwriting and illegibility issues with prescriptions, sending the prescription digitally ensures the order is clear.  Some electronic prescribing systems (such as MDToolbox) allow for pulling medication fill history for patients automatically, so even if the patient cannot recall their medications, the prescriber will have quick access to a record of it. MDToolbox can improve patient safety by alerting for any drug to drug interactions, drug allergy interactions, drug to condition interactions, and duplicate therapy conditions. These alerts could save a patient’s life.

2. With MDToolbox, patient medication history can be checked in as little as one click.

The opioid epidemic plaguing our country has resulted in many states mandating checking the state specific Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PMPs) prior to prescribing certain controlled substance medications. MDToolbox allows prescribers in most states to be able to check this data directly within the prescription writer, saving prescribers time so they can move on to their next virtual visit quickly and efficiently.

3. Satisfy Medicare MIPS requirements by meeting Meaning Full use.

MDToolbox is certified to meet Meaningful Use requirements necessary for the Merit Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS).  By using MDToolbox, prescribers are able to increase their scores and maximize their payment adjustments received by Medicare.  Please see our Meaningful Use Certification page for specifics on certifications.

4. Electronic prescribing saves patient’s money and increases patient satisfaction.

MDToolbox allows for viewing the price of the specific medication the provider is prescribing at their patient’s specific pharmacy as they are writing the prescription. The system will present potential alternatives that may save the patient money by making a brand or pharmacy change. This could also save the practice valuable time avoiding a patient calling back to change pharmacies if they find the price too high where the medication was prescribed.

5. Meet State and National mandates to electronically prescribe.

States are continuing to pass legislation requiring all prescribers to send electronic prescriptions. Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming have mandates going into effect in 2021. See our State Map for information on current and pending legislation. Some States detail extensive penalties for not complying with their electronic prescribing legislation. In addition, the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act will require EPCS at the national level starting in January 2021.

MDToolbox looks forward to providing tools and resources to assist telemedicine providers throughout the United States to ease the transition, helping our customers increase the efficiency of their office and combat the opioid epidemic. With MDToolbox, prescribers have access to tools such as Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances (EPCS), the ability to check most State’s PMPs without having to separately login to their State portal, and convenient on the go e-prescribing with our mobile app! We offer a free 30 day free trial, so Contact us for more information!