New Tech Computer Systems has slated the release of its latest Prism update, version 7.6 FD, for early 2009. The software update will include two highly anticipated additions: Flex (FSA) card processing ability and a comprehensive eScript interface. Both software additions reflect the freshest applications of technology in the medical world, keeping New Tech customers in the forefront of the latest industry changes and requirements.
FSA Processing
A flexible spending account (FSA), Flex for short, is one of several types of tax-advantaged finance accounts that can be established through a company's cafeteria plan. In more and more cases account holders are being issued debit cards which can be used against the available funds in that account. This, in turn, has produced a growing number of potential customers, cards in hand, all searching for a pharmacy able to process FSA debit cards.
As of 2009 the use and processing of FSA debit cards falls under strict IRS regulations, requiring pharmacy retailers who wish to accept Flex cards to operate an IIAS (inventory information approval system) compliant point of sale system. Prism version 7.6 FD enables pharmacies to meet this requirement.
Prism version 7.6 FD showcases an IIAS compliant Point of Sale system capable of real-time, auto-substantiation for eligible items purchased with a Flex payment card. By integrating both the SIGIS-established list of qualified FSA items and the Heartland-established list of recognized FSA debit cards, Prism’s POS system can identify and subtotal Flex eligible items within a transaction and restrict usage of FSA debit cards to only the items that are covered under IIAS standards, requiring the customer to produce a second payment form for non-covered items.
While FSA debit cards are relatively new on the pharmacy scene, they are by no means a passing fancy. Quite the opposite. In the following years pharmacies can expect the current trickle of FSA customers to become a flood. If your pharmacy is not prepared to accept FSA cards, you could be missing out on a huge portion of the customer pie. New Tech’s Point of Sale software makes sure that doesn’t happen.
eScript Interface
In its infancy the idea of ePrescribing started as part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA), the goal of which was, in part, to “improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the healthcare system”.1
According to a Time Magazine article, each year pharmacists place more than 150 million calls to doctors for the purpose of clarifying confusing prescriptions.2 That’s an enormous amount of time spent on the phone - which in turn translates into lost productivity and revenue for the pharmacy. The illegibility of physicians' handwriting may be an ongoing punch line but it's no laughing matter to the pharmacists who has to sit on hold trying to reach the doctor to clarify the prescription - or worse, if the patient gets the wrong drug or dosage due to inaccurate deciphering of the handwriting.
Proponents of ePrescribing believe that by eliminating paper, phone and fax – antiquated methods that are by their very nature prone to human error - and relying on electronically transferred scripts, or eScripts, that the information exchange between prescriber and pharmacists becomes a much safer and more dependent intercourse. By exchanging prescription information electronically, you reduce the risk of errors associated with poor handwriting, illegible faxes and additional key strokes. A July 2006 report from the National Academies of Science’s Institute of Medicine (IOM) estimated that doctor’s illegible handwriting was responsible for more than 7000 deaths annually. That’s a shocking statistic, especially when you consider that it could be avoided through the process of ePrescribing.
SureScripts, one of the nation’s leading providers of ePrescribing services, posted a National Progress Report on E-Prescibing which projected that by the end of 2008 there would be as many as 45,000 pharmacies signed up for ePrescribing.3 Is your pharmacy ready for the eScript era or are you missing out on the benefits that ePrescribing can bring?
Prism version 7.6 FD provides a full ePrescribing interface, enabling pharmacies to receive eScripts from participating providers, load new patient and drug information from the electronic data stream with the touch of a key and submit eRefill requests to the prescriber easily and securely using industry standard encryption methods. With Prism’s eScript interface, pharmacies can keep abreast of the latest medical technology - technology that allows them to increase their store’s productivity, compete with larger chain pharmacies, secure working relationships with participating providers, and offer customers a safer, more reliable service.
1 CMS website, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, viewed February 5, 2009
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/HIPAAGenInfo/Downloads/HIPAALaw.pdf
2 Time Magazine Online, To The Rescue, viewed February 5, 2009 http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,999730-2,00.html
3 SureScripts website, National Progress Report on E-Prescribing, viewed February 5, 2009
http://www.surescripts.com/report/