Southeast Texas Medical Associates, LLP James L. Holly, M.D. Southeast Texas Medical Associates, LLP


Letters - David Fulton Summary of SETMA's ePCS Efforts today including Auditing Capability - January 26, 2016
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January 26, 2016

David Fulton, MS, PMP
Communication Lead
Medicaid- CHIP Health Information Technology
Health and Human Services Commission

David, thank you for hosting an engaging meeting today.  The following are links to information which may be helpful to others.  Of particular interest is a description of the audit of ePCS which we have created.  The following links are a series of articles, thoughts and tutorials for SETMA’s deployment of ePCS and how it fits into SETMA’s vision of the future:

  1. August 20, 2015 -- Your Life Your Health - Prescribing Pain Medications: A Conundrum for Patient and Provider
  2. August 31, 2015 -- Letters - SETMA Tools for e-prescribing controlled substances, pain management policy and Urine Drug Screens
  3. September 10, 2015 -- Letters - SETMA's letter with Inclusions sent to 105 Pharmacies About e-Prescribing
  4. September 17, 2015 -- Your Life Your Health - ePCS and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program
  5. October 22, 2015 -- Letters - Texas e-Prescribing of Controlled Substance Outreach Planning Group
  6. October 25, 2015 --- EPM Tools - ePrescribing of Controlled Substances Tutorial
  7. January 7, 2016 -- Your Life Your Health - Looking Back as a Foundation for Envisioning the Future Part I
  8. January 14, 2016 -- Your Life Your Health - Looking Back as a Foundation for Envisioning the Future Part II -- the following is an excerpt from this link:

    “ePCS - Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances has been a major advance in quality and safety for patients.  All of SETMA’s providers, including nurse practitioners are participating in this program and SETMA is working with the Texas section of Medicaid-CHIP Health Information Technology Health and Human Services Commission to expand the usage of this tool across Texas.  (see:  ePCS and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program)”

  9. January 21, 2016 -- Your Life Your Health - SETMA's Past Defined by Three Seven-Year Segments which Help Guide the Future
  10. December 24, 2015 --  Transforming Your Practice - Introduction to SETMA’s TCPI Library

The following is a screen shot of how the new auditing tool is accessed in SETMA’s EMR. See the button outlined in green below.  The Screen is where every visit with every patient at SETMA begins. 

The following is a real example - de-identified - of an audit of my personal ePCS for the past 30 days. This was created on 1.25.16.  Several things are worth noting:

  • The time frame is selected by the provider (30,60,90, 180, days)
  • The audit gives you the essential information about the prescriptions
  • The audit also tells you how many medications you have ePCS and how many discreet patients that represents. 
  • The provider can only audit his/her use.   The systems manager can audit all use.

Several HIPAA issues are worth noting:

  • This information is not saved to the chart.  The reason is that if it were, PHI would be put on a chart note which could be and would be sent to others.
  • There is no link or citric footprint created.  When the chart is closed all evidence of this audit disappears.

James (Larry) Holly, M.D.
C.E.O. SETMA
www.jameslhollymd.com

Adjunct Professor
Family & Community Medicine
University of Texas Health Science Center
San Antonio School of Medicine 

Clinical Associate Professor
Department of Internal Medicine
School of Medicine
Texas A&M Health Science Center