Changes in Electronic Prescribing in Version 3.143
Current Users of e-Rx: Please Read This
Beginning with release 3.143, VersaForm electronic prescriptions are fully qualified for the 2% Medicare bonus for Electronic Prescribing.
Your current version of electronic prescriptions includes:
- Drug/drug interaction checking.
- Drug/allergy interaction checking.
- Patient handouts in various languages.
- Drug monographs.
- Transmission of prescriptions to a pharmacy.
The new release extends this support by providing:
- Drug/disease interaction checking.
- Display of medications belonging to the Health Plan formularies for the Insurance Plans used by the patient.
- Alternative medication suggestions for reducing drug costs for the patient.
- Receipt of prescription renewal requests from a pharmacy.
Your system will automatically be upgraded with release 3.143 to enable these new features, except for the renewal requests. After upgrading, you will need to contact VersaForm Tech Support at 800-999-6081 and ask to be registered for renewal requests.
The upgrade includes an automatic refresh of the medication and allergy tables as well as adding new tables to support formularies.
Compatibility Mode
We have included a special mode, called "Compatibility Mode" in which the system continues to work as it always has. This allows you to move to the new interface when it is convenient for you. Whenever you add or renew a medication or check on prescription status, you will be offered the choice of "Web Rx" or "Compatibility Mode". Be aware, however, that Compatibility Mode does not offer the new features provided by The NewCrop Web pages.
You can read a complete description of using the new features by clicking on Help, opening the Search Tab and entering "Electronic Prescriptions" (including the "s) in the search box.
In order to use the new features:
- You will prescribe medications, select pharmacies, and transmit prescriptions using NewCrop Web pages.
- The first time you access the Web page you will be required to agree to the NewCrop Electronic License.
- The Web page has a full set of help to learn it's use but it might be helpful for you to know that there are basically three Web pages:
- The first is the "Compose" page where you select one or more drugs for the patient. From the Compose page, you go to the "Review Page" by clicking the "Take Completed Rx to the Review Page" button.
- The Review page shows interactions (drug/drug, drug/allergy, and drug/disease). For this page you next go to the Transmit page by using the "Proceed to Print/ Transmit" button.
- The Transmit page allows you to either print the prescription or select a pharmacy and transmit the prescription to that pharmacy.
- When you are done, you return to VersaForm by clicking on the X in the upper right corner of the Web page. If you decide not to complete or transmit the prescription, simply click the X in the upper right corner of the Web page.
- You will need to re-assign pharmacies to patients on the Web page. Once you have assigned a pharmacy, the Web page will remember the assignment.
- You will need to assign Formularies to Insurance Plans. You can either:
- Set the Formulary for a single Insurance Plan in the Setup window,Insurance Plans Tab, Edit/View the plan and click on the "Save/Set Formulary" button.
- Bulk assign the Formularies using the Setup window, Medications Tab, Electronic Rx Setup button and click on the "Add Formularies to Insurance Plans" button.
- Or allow the system to ask you to select the Formulary as you add medications if the patient has one or more Insurance Plans where the Formulary has not been selected. You will be given the choice of not specifying Formularies but, if you choose not to set the Formularies, the Web page will not indicate which medications belong to the Formulary.
- You will need convert patient allergies to a standard format. You can do this either by using the Setup window, Medications Tab, Electronic Rx Setup button and click on the "Convert Allergies to Standard Form" button or the system will ask you convert individual allergies if the patient has one or more unconverted allergies when you add a medication for the patient. You will be given the choice of not converting allergies but, if you choose not to convert the allergies, the Web page cannot perform drug/allergy interaction checking.
- You will need to select a computer to receive renewal requests from pharmacies. You can read a complete description of setting up the new features by clicking on Help, opening the Search Tab and entering "Electronic Rx Setup" (including the "s) in the search box.
