Version 21.3

ePA Basics

Office Practicum has elected to integrate seamlessly with CompletEPA from Surescripts, our nation’s ePrescribing network with connections to the major Pharmacy Benefits Managers or PBMs. Their ePA Worklist has been inserted into various points within the ePA workflow inside Office Practicum. As a result, when detailed information about a PA is available or when an action is required, a new window opens enabling navigation in the Worklist. Basic information such as the status of a PA request is shared between OP and CompletEPA.

On the Prescription Writer, below the drug name there is a button with the image of a pill. This icon informs the user whether or not a PA is indicated at the plan level based on formulary. The button is tri-state, meaning it is visually different depending on the situation. The three possible states of this tri-state button are:

• Disabled (grayed out): This state indicates that no medication is selected and/or the patient does not have pharmacy benefits.
• Enabled, no check mark: This state indicates that the end user has selected a medication for which PA is not indicated but that the patient does have pharmacy benefits.
• Enabled, with check mark: This state indicates that the end user has selected a medication that requires a PA and that the patient has pharmacy benefits. Formulary checking must be enabled and the patient must have pharmacy benefits for this state to occur.

In the screen capture below, ePA button is disabled, which indicates that no medication is selected and/or the patient does not have pharmacy benefits.

The Medication Finder displays whether a plan-level PA is indicated on both the Matching Favorites and Master List tabs but not the All Favorites tab.

If the end user selects a drug for which PA is not indicated but the patient has pharmacy benefits, OP enables the ePA button does not add a check mark.

Note:  Formulary checking must be enabled. Click here to learn how to enable formulary checking.

When a PA is indicated for a specific drug, a prescriber may elect to choose another drug if appropriate, including an Alternative Medication presented on the lower half of the Medication Finder in order to avoid the PA process.

After the end user selects a drug that requires a PA, OP adds a check mark to the ePA icon on the Prescription Writer. Formulary checking must be enabled and the patient must have pharmacy benefits for this feature to work.

Should there be an issue that prevents the ePA process from initiating or completing (such as a PBM being down) and the prescriber believes the drug selected typically does require a PA, the prescriber may manually indicate a PA by clicking on or toggling the ePA icon.

Once indicated either automatically by formulary or manually, OP automatically sends the request through CompletEPA to the PBM/payer when the end user clicks the Print or Send button.

At this point in the workflow we’ve been describing, we know the drug selected requires a PA at the plan level but we do not yet know if it will be required by the payer based on the patient’s specific circumstances.

Version 21.2

ePA Basics

Office Practicum has elected to integrate seamlessly with CompletEPA from Surescripts, our nation’s ePrescribing network with connections to the major Pharmacy Benefits Managers or PBMs. Their ePA Worklist has been inserted into various points within the ePA workflow inside Office Practicum. As a result, when detailed information about a PA is available or when an action is required, a new window opens enabling navigation in the Worklist. Basic information such as the status of a PA request is shared between OP and CompletEPA.

On the Prescription Writer, below the drug name there is a button with the image of a pill. This icon informs the user whether or not a PA is indicated at the plan level based on formulary. The button is tri-state, meaning it is visually different depending on the situation. The three possible states of this tri-state button are:

• Disabled (grayed out): This state indicates that no medication is selected and/or the patient does not have pharmacy benefits.
• Enabled, no check mark: This state indicates that the end user has selected a medication for which PA is not indicated but that the patient does have pharmacy benefits.
• Enabled, with check mark: This state indicates that the end user has selected a medication that requires a PA and that the patient has pharmacy benefits. Formulary checking must be enabled and the patient must have pharmacy benefits for this state to occur.

In the screen capture below, ePA button is disabled, which indicates that no medication is selected and/or the patient does not have pharmacy benefits.

The Medication Finder displays whether a plan-level PA is indicated on both the Matching Favorites and Master List tabs but not the All Favorites tab.

If the end user selects a drug for which PA is not indicated but the patient has pharmacy benefits, OP 14 enables the ePA button does not add a check mark.

Note:  Formulary checking must be enabled. Click here to learn how to enable formulary checking.

When a PA is indicated for a specific drug, a prescriber may elect to choose another drug if appropriate, including an Alternative Medication presented on the lower half of the Medication Finder in order to avoid the PA process.

After the end user selects a drug that requires a PA, OP 14 adds a check mark to the ePA icon on the Prescription Writer. Formulary checking must be enabled and the patient must have pharmacy benefits for this feature to work.

Should there be an issue that prevents the ePA process from initiating or completing (such as a PBM being down) and the prescriber believes the drug selected typically does require a PA, the prescriber may manually indicate a PA by clicking on or toggling the ePA icon.

Once indicated either automatically by formulary or manually, OP 14 automatically sends the request through CompletEPA to the PBM/payer when the end user clicks the Print or Send button.

At this point in the workflow we’ve been describing, we know the drug selected requires a PA at the plan level but we do not yet know if it will be required by the payer based on the patient’s specific circumstances.