Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances Coming Soon for UHCare Acute Providers

Implementation will begin with UH Samaritan Medical Center in February 2020

UH Clinical Update | December 2019

Beginning in early 2020 and continuing through mid-2021, University Hospitals will implement Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances (EPCS) in a series of phases for providers who use the UHCare Acute electronic medical record (EMR). Many states currently require EPCS and we anticipate Ohio will follow in the near future. EPCS will become the standard practice for prescribing controlled substances to our patients as it reinforces patient safety and aligns us with federal requirements. The majority of UHCare Ambulatory providers across UH are already using EPCS, with more than 70 percent of their controlled substance prescriptions now being submitted electronically! You will receive more details about the enrollment process and timeline from your hospital’s Chief Medical Officer in the weeks prior to your go live. 

TIMELINE

Implementation for UHCare Acute providers will begin with UH Samaritan Medical Center in February 2020, followed by Ambulatory Oncology in March 2020 and UH Ahuja in April 2020. High-volume prescribers at the remaining locations will go live in May 2020, independently of their site. Other locations will follow the anticipated series of phases through mid-2021 as shown below.

• UH Cleveland Medical Center: June 2020-November 2020
• UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital: December 2020
• UH Portage Medical Center: January 2021
• UH St. John Medical Center: February 2021
• UH Parma Medical Center: March 2021
• UH Elyria Medical Center: April 2021
• UH Richmond Medical Center: May 2021
• UH Geauga and Bedford medical centers: June 2021
• UH Conneaut and Geneva medical centers: July 2021
• Others: August 2021
  

PROVIDER ENROLLMENT REQUIRED

We have taken steps to make the transition to EPCS as seamless as possible, but there will be one important action required by providers. Federal regulations require all providers to complete a brief enrollment process before prescribing controlled substances electronically. Even if you have already completed the enrollment process for the UHCare Ambulatory EMR, you must still complete an enrollment process for UHCare Acute per federal requirements. More details will be available in the weeks leading up to your facility’s go-live date.

Thank you for your support as we continue to expand our electronic capabilities to enhance the safety and overall experience for our patients and provider.