POCP Blog

By Tony Schueth

As the Point-of-Care Partners (POCP) team travels the country for conferences and client engagements, we often get asked about New York’s I-STOP (Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescribing Act). The law went into effect on March 27 and requires most New York physicians to use electronic prescribing (ePrescribing) — for both non-controlled and most controlled substances (EPCS). Across the country, people want to know: will other states follow New York’s lead and adopt their own version of I-STOP?

Our answer is an unequivocal yes. In fact, we’re starting to see it already, with recently introduced legislation in Maine and Massachusetts. We hear unconfirmed reports of movement in Texas and California. Others are sure to follow. Here’s why:

States often follow the leader. States always watch closely to see what others are doing, especially the bellwether states that were named in John Naisbitt’s classic book Megatrends. Once the legal ice has been broken, it’s easier for others to model the legislative language and tweak it to adapt to their unique situations. The fact that a large and influential state like New York has passed and implemented I-STOP will make it easier to get similar bills through other state legislatures.

Success breeds success. ePrescribing adoption in New York has been outstanding because of I-STOP.  About 70% of physicians now can ePrescribe, both for controlled and non-controlled substances. In fact, Surescripts expects to see more than a million controlled substance prescriptions in March, which is about half of the controlled substance prescriptions written in the state. The word will get out, helping to mitigate the fear of EPCS by doctors in other states.

Everyone is jumping on board the anti-opioid abuse bandwagon. Just about every day we hear about another initiative by the federal government, states and private groups aimed at curbing opioid abuse and diversion. Opioid abuse has reached epic proportions nationwide and we are seeing overdose deaths each day in all 50 states. I-STOP-like legislation will be a critical tool that all states can use to address this dangerous epidemic. The political appetite for this is growing.

Technology has improved. I-STOP has moved the technology ball significantly down the field.  Surescripts usually sees 2-3 vendors per week getting certified for EPCS; as I-STOP’s implementation deadline approached, they were seeing 8-10 per day. This will certainly raise EPCS adoption in New York and other states as well. Lack of certified EPCS vendors was a barrier. I-STOP has removed this impediment, which will make EPCS easier and more palatable to physicians and their associations across the country.

POCP is closely monitoring the impact of I-STOP in New York and other states. Our ePrescribing State Law Review was created to keep companies current with state and federal regulatory changes, so they can proactively identify opportunities and modifications that may be needed.  Subscribers receive ongoing, in-depth analyses of relevant state and federal prescribing rules and have access to POCP regulatory experts.  An abbreviated summary, the ePrescribing State Law Capsule, is available on a complimentary basis.

To learn more, visit our  Regulatory Resource Center or contact its director Connie Sinclair, connie.sinclair@pocp.com.

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