WENO’s free EPCS offering expected to accelerate DEA calls
to investigate noncompliant pharmacies
AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For prescribers that need to Electronically Prescribe Controlled Substances (EPCS) to satisfy the new Medicare law, WENO Exchange (WENO) is offering Free EPCS. While others may offer free e-Prescribing, WENO is the first to offer free EPCS.
The Every Prescription Conveyed Securely Act took effect on January 1, 2021. This federal law requires EPCS when the drug is covered by Medicare Part D.
EPCS solutions can be crippling for small practices to implement. According to Perspectives in Health Information Management, the cost for a practice of 10 physicians starts at $42,000, with annual fees at about $14,000.
The Federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) requires EPCS software to have a third-party audit to validate requirements. Besides being an intermediary, WENO provides a stand-alone platform called WENO Online which meets the EPCS requirements. Pharmacy technology vendors (PTVs) and electronic health record systems (EHRs) can also integrate with WENO. OpenEMR, the open source EHR, is introducing a patch to take advantage of the offer. Founded by Tina Goodman, an expert in EHR certifications and e-Prescribing standards, WENO is the only e-Prescribing intermediary independent from the Surescripts network.
“Generally speaking, dentist don’t write many scripts which makes EPCS fees exorbitant,” said Dr. Klingsporn, DDS, owner of Austin based Boulder Canyon Family Dentistry. “Having WENO offer this service free is a real benefit to dentists throughout the USA.”
“Free EPCS is great news for prescribers,” said Goodman. “Unfortunately, some pharmacies are violating the DEA’s EPCS rules by refusing EPCS orders that are transmitted on a platform other than Surescripts. They are required to retain EPCS orders in electronic form if they were created electronically, regardless of transmission method. DEA complaints will likely increase as prescribers use WENO to be in compliance with the new Medicare EPCS law if pharmacies do no follow the DEA’s laws and process their perfectly legal EPCS orders.”
About WENO Exchange, LLC
WENO’s e-Prescribing intermediary service also includes WENO Online, which provides free EPCS and secure messaging. All services include application program interfaces for pharmacy technology vendors and EHRs. Founded by Tina Goodman, an expert in e-Prescribing standards, WENO operates independently from the Surescripts network. https://wenoexchange.com. For more information contact Tina Goodman 877-890-3726.