Health IT, Patient Engagement

Patients seem wary of N.Y. state’s I-STOP e-prescribing law

Some of the concerns are legitimate, while others sound like people don’t understand the intent of the law.

By Neil Versel on March 28, 2016

thumbs_gladiatorWith e-prescribing now mandatory in New York state, consumers — patients — seem confused, antsy and a little bit angry. Some of the concerns are legitimate, while others sound like people don’t understand the intent of the law.

That’s based on a discussion in Paying Till It Hurts, a New York Times-led Facebook group about healthcare costs.

Sunday night, Times reporter Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal posted a story about the New York law, I-STOP (Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescribing), which is meant to cut down on prescription drug abuse and drug diversion by doctors and patients alike. (She shared something from a healthcare trade publication that isn’t MedCity News, so boo on her.)

“New York today began mandatory e-prescribing for prescriptions. But no one talks how this impacts patients’ ability to shop around. If my prescription is sent to a particular pharmacy, it limits my ability to take it to another that may have a better price! We patients always seem to be an afterthought….,” Rosenthal wrote.

Indeed, patients do seem to be an afterthought too often in healthcare. The primary intent of the New York mandate is to stop abuse of prescription drugs, particularly opiods, but e-prescribing also has been positioned as a way to improve patient safety and customer service.

Patient safety? Electronic prescriptions eliminate the problem of bad handwriting that’s become a stereotype in medicine. And since true e-scripts get sent directly into pharmacy systems, there’s no need to transcribe and possibly make a typo on the pharmacy side. (Printed or faxed prescriptions from an electronic system still require transcription, of course.)

Customer service? In theory, patients should be able to decide what pharmacy they want their prescriptions sent to. With e-Rx, the prescriptions should be ready when the patient gets to the pharmacy, so there’s no more waiting. This is a big deal when you or your child is sick.

presented by

But are their unintended consequences? The discussion on Rosenthal’s post suggests there are plenty. (A certain MedCity News reporter took part and shared a story he wrote on Friday.)

e-Rx appalling

There’s plenty of paranoia, too. Feel free to ignore or at least roll your eyes at the Donald Trump comment.

eRx Facebook discussion 1

Some do seem to get it, though.

e-Rx Facebook discussion 2

And the discussion continues in earnest on Monday afternoon.

Meanwhile, over on Twitter, industry insiders love the law. Clearly, vendors do, because it means more sales for them.

This is from a Surescripts marketing person, so take it with a grain of salt (no prescription necessary).

https://twitter.com/JK_RxVA/status/714464117856206849

And one of the most outspoken healthcare privacy watchdogs out there hates the concept of e-prescribing, given the current state of health IT security.