Laura Topor Discusses Challenges of e-Prescribing Specialty Medications

Prescribers and pharmacies can encounter some unique challenges when specialty drugs are e-prescribed, but organizations like the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) are trying to make the process smoother, explained Laura Topor, president of Granada Health.

Transcript (slightly modified)

What are the challenges of e-prescribing specialty medications, and how can they be overcome?

I’ve spent a fair amount of time through NCPDP trying to improve the standard to support e-prescribing of specialty medications, and what we’ve found is there were a lot of elements on that intake or enrollment form that a specialty pharmacy has that weren’t included. They maybe would send the prescription and still be faxing the form in, so we’ve enhanced the standard, which will be available when the new regulations come out that allow us to use it, that will simplify that process. We added things like gestational age and hospice indicators and IV administration elements.

The other challenge is often because of where the product can be dispensed, and the prescriber doesn’t know that, so we’re trying to figure that piece out to make sure that the prescription gets to the right pharmacy. We’ve got some work to do there, but it’s… Who’s going to get that prior authorization? Is the right information moving? Is it going to a pharmacy; is it going to a hub? All of those components we’re trying to address in enhancing the e-prescribing transactions.