Drummond Group Inc. submitted documentation to the DEA last week for its electronic prescribing of controlled substances certification process. Pending approval, officials say Drummond will provide ePCS certification to healthcare software companies with the capability of e‐prescribing controlled substances.
Since 2005, Drummond Group has been an auditor and certification organization for the DEA's final rule regulations on the Controlled Substance Ordering System (CSOS), which enables drug manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies to electronically automate the order and fulfillment supply chain of controlled substances.
[See also: Drummond Group seeks piece of certification action.]
Drummond Group also serves as an authorized testing and certification body (ATCB) under the Health and Human Services’ electronic health records certification program, having certified more than 450 software applications, including e‐prescribing solutions, since its inception in 2010.
"Given our background in auditing CSOS and the volume of e‐Prescribing solutions we have tested and certified under the ATCB program, we are excited and fully prepared to launch our ePCS Certification Program, upon approval," says Rik Drummond, CEO of Drummond Group.
Drummond Group’s ePCS Certification Program will certify ePCS functionality in healthcare software applications to ensure they comply with the requirements delineated in the DEA’s final rule, 21 CFR Part 1311. The ePCS final rule is designed to further the adoption of e‐prescribing by specifically addressing controlled substances prescriptions between practitioners and pharmacies by taking significant measures to ensure that the process is secure and enforces diversion control measures of controlled substances.
[See also: Drummond Group may provide competition for CCHIT.]
Among the requirements, practitioners and pharmacies must select and use e‐prescribing software that has undergone review by a certification organization that has had its ePCS certification process approved by the DEA.
Using healthcare applications that have certified ePCS capability will enable individual and institutional practitioners to write prescriptions with controlled substances electronically and pharmacies to receive, dispense and archive these electronic prescriptions.
