SPARTANBURG, S.C. – QS/1 announced that effective May 3, 2019, NRx and RxCare Plus have been certified by Surescripts to send and receive electronic prescriptions and prescription-related information using the new SCRIPT Standard version 2017071. The National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) sets the standard for electronic prescribing and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has adopted version 2017071 in its final rule for Medicare Part D eligible beneficiaries. The new rule sunsets the outgoing SCRIPT Standard version 10.6 and mandates the use of the new standard for all electronically transmitted prescriptions and prescription-related information beginning January 1, 2020.

“QS/1 prides itself on being an innovator,” said Kevin Welch, QS/1 president. “As an early adopter for Surescripts, we completed this important work in early May and are excited about deploying our solutions across the country to facilitate a smooth transition.”

The changes specified by the new SCRIPT Standard 2017071 include the expansion of fields and addition of new message types that allow the industry to better serve patients. Hundreds of new data fields will allow for the communication of crucial patient information between systems, as well as the ability to electronically change, cancel or request an electronic prescription.

“QS/1 believes the new SCRIPT standard will allow pharmacies to take better care of their patients as more data and data types can be exchanged,” Welch added. “For example, under the old SCRIPT standard, the SIG field only allowed for 140 characters. With version 2017071, the field for SIG directions has increased roughly 10 times to 1,000 characters. In the end, that means prescribers can be specific and pharmacists aren’t trying to interpret the prescriber’s intent.”

QS/1 began incorporating the changes in its pharmacy management systems in Service Pack 27. Final changes and updates will be included in Service Pack 29, which will be released well in advance of the January 1, 2020 transmission effective date.