The number of controlled substances being electronically prescribed is on the rise, according to a study in the American Journal of Managed Care.
Researchers used nationally representative transactional data from Surescripts from July 2012 to December 2013 to examine electronic prescribing of controlled substances trends.
They found the number of EPCS increased from 1,535 to 52,423, growing an average of 3,000 scripts every month during the study period. At the start of the study, 0.05 percent of clinicians on Surescripts network were prescribing controlled substances electronically. By the end, 1 percent prescribed them.
Additionally, the number of pharmacies enabled for EPCS increased from 13 percent to 30 percent over the study period. Researchers note 690 new pharmacies on average are enabled for EPCS each month.
Researchers concluded there is positive growth for pharmacy ability to accept EPCS, the number of EPCS prescriptions sent each month and the number of clinicians who are able to send EPCS.
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