Over 40% of U.S. Pharmacies Now Able to Accept Electronic Prescriptions for Controlled Substances

Rockville, MD, July 08, 201-- DrFirst, a leading provider of healthcare IT solutions designed to improve clinical outcomes for patients, announced today that there are now over 28,000 pharmacies nationwide that accept electronically transmitted prescriptions for controlled substances, representing 41 percent of all retail pharmacies in the United States.

A number of factors are driving the growth of e-prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS) across the U.S. First made legal at the federal level by the DEA in 2010, 49 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have now legalized controlled substance e-prescribing at the state level. Additional evidence illustrates the rapid adoption of EPCS:

• Ten U.S. states boast more than 50 percent of retail pharmacies EPCS-enabled
• Following aggressive awareness campaigns, Arizona leads all U.S. states with nearly 75 percent of retail pharmacies EPCS-enabled
• New York’s Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescribing (I-STOP) law now mandates that doctors e-prescribe both legend drugs and controlled substances by March 27, 2015
• A rising number of states are turning to technology solutions and prescription monitoring programs (PMPs) to fight epidemic levels of prescription drug abuse as described by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

In “The Evolving Landscape for Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances – An Industry Briefing for 2014”, DrFirst documents further background information on the growth of controlled substance e-prescribing in the U.S., including a state-by-state list of EPCS-enabled pharmacy density. To download the report go to: http://go.drfirst.com/EPCSreport2014.

“Clearly, doctors and legislators realize the tremendous benefit controlled substance e-prescribing offers in battling prescription drug abuse, reducing healthcare costs, and improving patient care,” said G. Cameron Deemer, president of DrFirst. “Moreover, EMR executives now see that controlled substance e-prescribing functionality must become a core integrated component of their system’s capabilities; more than 150 of our EMR partners have already integrated DrFirst’s EPCS GoldSM 2.0 controlled-substance e-prescribing technology in order to be prepared to deliver this capability to their providers.”

About DrFirst
DrFirst pioneers technology solutions that inform the doctor-patient point of encounter, optimizing provider access to patient information, enhancing the doctor’s clinical view of the patient, and improving care delivery and clinical outcomes. Our growth is driven by a commitment to innovation, security, and reliability across a wide array of services, including Medication Management, Medication Adherence, and Secure Communication and Collaboration. We are proud of our track record of service to more than 300 EMR/EHR/HIS vendors and an extensive network of providers, hospitals and patients. For more information please visit http://www.drfirst.com.