E-Prescribing Frequently Asked Questions (NEW)







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The following frequently asked questions provide details on the most commonly asked about pieces of the AWARDS E-Prescribing feature.  Click a question from the list here to navigate directly to the corresponding answer, or scroll through the full list of questions and answers below.

Are any additional steps necessary when terminating an E-Prescribing user in AWARDS?

Can an address other than the client's current address be using when submitting prescriptions?

Can controlled substances be prescribed using AWARDS E-Prescribing?

Can I access AWARDS E-Prescribing for a discharged client?

Can I access AWARDS E-Prescribing within a FormBuilder form?

Can I enter a maximum daily dose when prescribing?

Does AWARDS E-Prescribing detect drug-drug and drug-allergy interactions?

How are end dates entered for electronically prescribed medications, and who can enter them?

How do I enter tapers or titrations for e-prescribed medications?

How do I reconcile a medications list when switching from Digital Rx to the new AWARDS E-Prescribing?

How do I reset the AWARDS E-Prescribing Signature Password I need in order to send prescriptions?

How do I update my signature image in AWARDS E-Prescribing?

How does AWARDS E-Prescribing work in multi-agency/divisional databases?  Are there special considerations to be made?

How does "No Known Allergies" work in AWARDS E-Prescribing?

How is client (patient) information updated in AWARDS E-Prescribing?

Is AWARDS E-Prescribing captured in the audit trail?

What access do the different user roles have within AWARDS E-Prescribing?

What does "Rx" after a medication name on the Medications index mean?

What if the medication to be prescribed does not appear in the drug search results?

What information must be entered for a client before medications can be E-Prescribed for him/her?

Are any additional steps necessary when terminating an E-Prescribing user in AWARDS?

When terminating (removing access for) an AWARDS E-Prescriber, contact the Foothold Help Desk after you've completed the termination process.  We will then remove the user from the E-Prescribing system.

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Can an address other than the client's current address be using when submitting prescriptions?

The ability to select an address other than the current one is useful in the event that the client's current address is not the address on record with his/her insurance carrier, and AWARDS has been configured to allow for this.  Specifically, an Electronic Order Address option is available for this purpose within the Housing module's Housing Information feature (also accessible via the Demographics information portion of client face sheets).  This checkbox displays beneath each address record on the page and can be checked off for ONE of those addresses.  Whichever address it is checked off for - even one with a move out date - is the one that will be transmitted via AWARDS E-Prescribing when electronic prescriptions are submitted for the client. 

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Can controlled substances be prescribed using AWARDS E-Prescribing?

Yes.  Prescribers who need the ability to send EPCS prescriptions should contact the Help Desk for assistance.  Those prescribers will then receive an external email with instructions on completing the ID verification process and accessing EPCS.

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Can I access AWARDS E-Prescribing for a discharged client?

Yes, the Archives toggle on the Medications index page can be switched to "yes" before making a client selection on that page if it is necessary to select a previously discharged client for data entry purposes.

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Can I access AWARDS E-Prescribing within a FormBuilder form?

Yes.  For FormBuilder forms set to display a dynamic section of the Medications feature, users with access to AWARDS E-Prescribing can click the AWARDS E-Prescribing icon from the form, prescribe medications, and return to AWARDS with the information syncing with AWARDS as usual.

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Can I enter a maximum daily dose when prescribing?

The Maximum Daily Dose displays for only some controlled substances, unless your practice is in a state that requires it for all controlled substances.

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Does AWARDS E-Prescribing detect drug-drug and drug-allergy interactions?

Yes, allergies with the Type "Drug allergy," "Drug intolerance," or "Propensity to adverse reactions to drug" that also have a valid NDC Code (within RxNav) will sync with the E-Prescribing system.  However, if you use the Enter Free Text option to set the medication name and/or strength to be prescribed when creating a prescription, some interactions may not be detected.

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How are end dates entered for electronically prescribed medications, and who can enter them?

Within the AWARDS E-Prescribing system, each medication can have a Stop Date entered for it, which will then be shown in AWARDS as a read-only End Date  Subsequent changes to the Stop Date, if needed, must be made in the E-Prescribing system.

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How do I enter tapers or titrations for e-prescribed medications?

Taper and titration instructions should be entered in the Additional Directions to Patient field when creating the medication record.

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How do I reconcile a medications list when switching from Digital Rx to the new AWARDS E-Prescribing?

Medications that were previously e-prescribed using DigitalRx are automatically unlinked at the beginning of your transition to the new AWARDS E-Prescribing system, and current meds will not be synced to the AWARDS E-Prescribing system automatically.  To assure that the current medication information for a client is available in the AWARDS E-Prescribing system, we recommend reconciling the medications list.  Doing so involves opening the medication in data entry mode in AWARDS, and editing it until the RxNorm code is found.  Re-saving the medication at that time results in a sync into the E-Prescribing dashboard.  This can also be done with medications that were not originally e-prescribed if you want those to sync to the dashboard as current medications.

  TIP: If there's a medication for which an AWARDS search does not return a result, it can be added into the E-Prescribing system directly using the Add Medication feature accessible from the E-Prescribing dashboard.

Before beginning this process, prescribers and program staff must decide on answers for the following questions:

  Does it make sense to update all of the medications that were in Digital Rx with coded records? AWARDS will still be the medication list of record in either instance, but if you want to see the medications in the E-Prescribing system, you must update them.  When making a decision note that this can be a time-consuming process and medications will be updated organically as they are re-prescribed; however, in the interim doctors will have to carefully review the medication list in AWARDS.

  If the answer to the above question is yes, does it make sense to update the medications in AWARDS?  Or add them as new medications directly in the E-Prescribing system? Some providers may prefer to enter medications directly in the E-Prescribing system because it has a more robust drug database.  If that's the case,  the relevant medications in AWARDS should either be deleted (by someone with the "Delete Medication" permission) or end dates should be added to them.  Those medications can then be added via medication history in the E-Prescribing system.  Alternately, you can use the drug list in AWARDS and update existing records through medication data entry by selecting an auto-complete record.

We recommend following the same process for any drug-related allergies in the AWARDS Allergies feature.

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How do I reset the AWARDS E-Prescribing Signature Password I need in order to send prescriptions?

  If you know your current password - Open AWARDS E-Prescribing, click the menu icon in the upper left-hand corner of the AWARDS E-Prescribing Patient Dashboard, and then click Settings.  On the page that follows, click Signature Password.  Fill in all required fields, and then click Save to complete the reset process.

  If you do NOT know your current password - Contact the Foothold Help Desk for assistance.

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How do I update my signature image in AWARDS E-Prescribing?

Your AWARDS E-Prescribing signature is not the same as the electronic signature you use elsewhere in AWARDS.  Unlike your basic e-signature (which can be adjusted in AWARDS from the navigation bar > E-Signatures), your E-Prescribing signature can only be updated from within the AWARDS E-Prescribing feature itself.  To do so, open AWARDS E-Prescribing, click the menu icon in the upper left-hand corner of the AWARDS E-Prescribing Patient Dashboard, and then click Utilities.  On the page that follows, click Signature Capture.  Using a mouse or touch-screen device, record your signature, and then click Submit Signature(s) to complete the capture process.

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How does E-Prescribing work in multi-agency/divisional databases?  Are there special considerations to be made?

When AWARDS E-Prescribing is set up for multi-agency/divisional databases, each database must have its own setup.  As a result, if a user that operates in multiple divisions (for instance, is a CoC or Continuum user) will be working with the E-Prescribing functionality, he/she must have a login for each division and his/her own E-Prescribing registration for each.  Continuum users cannot use AWARDS E-Prescribing.

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How does "No Known Allergies" work in AWARDS E-Prescribing?

The No Known "switch" doesn't remove from E-Presrcribing because their allergy feature works slightly different than AWARDS.  When we send the No Known it cannot be removed until another allergy is sent.  So No Known works as follows:

  This record is marked as deleted as soon as an active allergy is added to the patient's chart.

  If all active allergies for a patient are marked as inactive, NKDA is automatically reflected on the patient's chart.

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How is client (patient) information updated in AWARDS E-Prescribing?

Anytime the AWARDS E-Prescribing system is accessed for a specific client (or patient), AWARDS syncs any updated face sheet information to the E-Prescribing system where it can then be seen on the AWARDS E-Prescribing Patient Dashboard.  As a result, if the client moves or has a new phone number, that information should first be updated in AWARDS.  Then, the next time the AWARDS E-Prescribing is accessed from the client's medications page, the updated information will be reflected in the dashboard.

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Is AWARDS E-Prescribing captured in the audit trail?

E-Prescribing actions captured in the audit trail are user registration, patient registration, and accessing the AWARDS E-Prescribing feature.  Once a prescription is sent to a pharmacy and the new medication is synced into AWARDS, the audit trail also contains a record for medications data entry.

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What access do the different user roles have within AWARDS E-Prescribing?

User roles and functions are as follows:

User Roles

Functions

Provider

Create, sign, and send e-prescriptions.

Also able to perform all Clinical Staff and Non-Clinical Staff functions.

Clinical Staff

Create e-prescriptions that the provider will then sign.

Add or edit patient medication lists.

Also able to perform all Non-Clinical Staff functions.

Non-Clinical Staff

Designate default pharmacies for patients.

View prescription reports.

Front Desk Staff

Designate default pharmacies for patients.

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What does "Rx" after a medication name on the Medications index mean?

For agencies using the optional AWARDS E-Prescribing functionality, "Rx" next to a medication name indicates that the medication entered into AWARDS has synced to the E-Prescribing dashboard, or vice versa - that a medication prescribed on the dashboard has been synced into the AWARDS medications index.

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What if the medication to be prescribed does not appear in the drug search results?

When searching for the drug while entering AWARDS medication records...

If, when adding a new medication record in AWARDS, the appropriate medication is not included in the search results, you can instead add it through the AWARDS E-Prescribing system when both of the following are true:

  You want the medication synced into the E-Prescribing system

  You are a "Clinical" user in the E-Prescribing system (if you're a non-prescriber and you need to be promoted to a Clinical user, please contact the Help Desk)

AWARDS and the E-Prescribing system use two different drug lists, which may provide different results.  In the event that the medication is not found in the E-Prescribing system either, continue on with the second half of this frequently asked question, below...

When searching for the drug while in the AWARDS E-Prescribing system...

In addition to using the Drug Search in the AWARDS E-Prescribing system, prescribers can also use the Enter Free Text option to set the name and strength of the medication being prescribed.  Click this option to create a prescription using free-text writing instead of the Drug Search.  This functionality may be important for certain prescriptions such as chemical compounds that are mixed uniquely per patient requirements.

IMPORTANT! Some drug and allergy interactions may not be detected when using the Enter Free Text method.

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What information must be entered for a client before medications can be E-Prescribed for him/her?

Aside from name, Social Security number, and date of birth (which are all required at the time a client's intake/admission is processed), there must also be the following entered for a client in AWARDS in order to E-Prescribe for him/her:  street address, city, state, and zip code.  If any of these pieces of information are not entered, anyone using AWARDS E-Prescribing functionality for the client will see an error message indicating which data is missing.

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