E-prescriptions coming soon for addictive drugs

U.S. drug regulators are close to allowing doctors to electronically prescribe potentially addictive medications like painkillers, rather than requiring written orders, a Drug Enforcement Administration spokeswoman said on Thursday.

A new rule allowing the change is expected to be made public soon, said administration spokeswoman Rogene Waite.

“We are close to having a regulation on e-prescribing controlled substances published,” Waite told Reuters.

She could not say when it would be announced.

While the move could make it easier for doctors and patients to manage their prescriptions, recent studies have found few doctor’s offices have adopted electronic medical systems.

Unlike most prescription medications, those with high potential for abuse face a variety of restrictions depending on their level of risk.

Some medications that treat attention deficit disorder, some painkillers and other drugs that are considered to have a high potential for abuse at present must be sold with a written prescription.

Refill orders for less risky drugs, including other painkillers and some sleep medicines, can be phoned into a pharmacy after the doctor’s initial written order.

Under the new rule, doctors could prescribe the restricted medicines electronically, but it was not clear which drugs would apply. Waite said she could not give more details until the rule was published.

A New England Journal of Medicine study published earlier this week found just 4 percent of physicians have “fully functional” computerized health records systems, while another 13 percent have more-basic systems.

WASHINGTON (Reuters)