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Why would a Prescriber vendor pursue two separate meaningful use certifications – one with Surescripts and one of the other certifying bodies?

Surescripts has unique expertise in e-prescribing and certification. For the better part of the last decade, Surescripts has collaborated with over 250 prescriber technology vendors on the way to enabling e-prescribing for over 200,000 providers at physician practices and health systems across the nation.

How much will Surescripts charge for ONC-ATCB service?

There is no charge.

Where can I get more information?

For more information on Surescripts EPCATSM services, go to http://www.surescripts.com/about-us/meaningful-use-services.aspx.

Where can a Prescriber Vendor find the certification criteria and test procedures mandated by the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC)?

ONC has adopted test procedures established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).  The NIST test procedures set forth the applicable certification criterion for the specified functionality required by the Meaningful Use and Certification programs and are available on NIST's website at http://healthcare.nist.gov/use_testing/effective_requirements.html.

For the e-prescribing module, an ONC-ATCB (whether Surescripts or a different ONC-ATCB) will test on the following NIST test procedures (which includes the privacy and security module as well):
1.    Electronic prescribing;
2.    Automated measure calculation;
3.    Access control;
4.    Automatic log-off;
5.    Emergency access;
6.    Audit log;
7.    Integrity;
8.    Authentication;
9.    General encryption; and
10.    Encryption when exchanging electronic health information.

NOTE:  Surescripts ONC-ATCB will only be testing and certifying to e-prescribing modules to NCPDP SCRIPT 8.1, not NCPDP SCRIPT 10.6, at this time.

Can a prescriber vendor use the Surescripts certification environment to test e-prescribing and/or formulary transactions for review by an ONC-Authorized Testing and Certifying Body?

No.  Our certification environment for the Surescripts Core Services (Prescription Routing, Prescription Benefit and Medication History) is not designed for this purpose and cannot be used for such under the terms of the services agreement between prescriber vendors and Surescripts for our Prescription Routing, Prescription Benefit and Medication History services.  Please contact your ONC Authorized Testing and Certifying Body (ATCB) for further direction and testing services.  This limitation has been communicated to all ONC ATCBs by Surescripts.

As an authorized testing and certifying body, Surescripts is offering a separate and unique testing environment for purposes of the ONC Temporary Certification Program to our customers. Click here for additional information on our testing and certification services for the ONC Temporary Certification Program.

What are the differences between Meaningful Use Certification and Surescripts Implementation?

The following describes the differences between the current Surescripts implementation of NCDPD SCRIPT 8.1 and the Meaningful Use Requirements for e-prescribing.  In addition to the following two differences, Surescripts has constrained the standard in other fields not called out specifically in the NIST Test Procedure.  These constraints are documented in the Surescripts Implementation Guide as variances.

1.    Drug Database Qualifier
Field - DRU-010-08   XML /MedicationPrescribed/DrugDBCode

This field is optional in the SCRIPT 8.1 standard and in Surescripts Implementation, but this field is mandatory for Meaningful Use Certification.

The SCRIPT 8.1 XML standard had a publishing error where the following FDB codes were omitted.  These codes are not in Surescripts' current implementation of SCRIPT but will be included in a future version.
FI - First DataBank Medication ID (FDB MedID)
FL - First DataBank Ingredient List ID (HICL_SEQ_NO)
FM - First DataBank Medication ID (FDB MedID)
FN - First DataBank Medication Name ID (FDB Med Name ID)
FD - First DataBank Routed Dosage Form ID (FDB Routed Dosage Form Med ID)

Surescripts accepts the codes that were originally published in the 8.1 guide and in addition allows the RxNorm codes.  Here is the complete list.

E - Medical Economics Generic Formulation Code (GFC)
G - Medical Economics Generic Master (GM)
FG - First DataBank Clinical Formulation ID Sequence Number (GCN_SEQ_NO)
FS - First Databank Smartkey
MC - Multum Drug ID
MD - Medi-Span Product Line (DDID)
MG - Medi-Span Generic Product Identifier (GPI)
MM - Multum MMDC
SCD - RxNorm Semantic Clinical Drug (SCD)
SBD - RxNorm Semantic Branded Drug (SBD)
GPK - RxNorm Generic Package (GPCK)
BPK - RxNorm Branded Package (BPCK)

2.    Quantity Code List Qualifier
Field - DRU-020-03  XML /MedicationPrescribed/Quantity/CodeListQualifier

This field is supported in the EDIFACT format, however in the XML format this field is not part of the current implementation. According to MU the only valid value for this field is 38 - Original Quantity.

The following describes the differences between the current Surescripts implementation of NCDPD SCRIPT 10.6 and the Meaningful Use Requirements for e-prescribing.The main difference between the current Surescripts implementation of NCDPD SCRIPT 10.6 and the Meaningful Use Requirements for e-prescribing is that Surescripts, for purposes of efficiency and quality of our network, has changed certain fields that are optional in the NCPDP SCRIPT 10.6 standard mandatory.  Surescripts collaborates with our participants to derive consensus with respect to these modifications.
Drug Database Codes and Qualifiers

Fields

- DRU 010-08
- DRU 010-09

This field is optional in the SCRIPT 10.6 standard and in Surescripts Implementation, but this field is mandatory for Meaningful Use Certification.

For specifics on the Meaningful Use testing please refer to this document:  http://healthcare.nist.gov/use_testing/effective_requirements.html.

Can Surescripts provide technical assistance with modifying or configuring a prescriber vendor’s software product(s) to conform to the ONC certification criterion and testing requirements?

Surescripts can provide information that is available to the general public and available on our website as well as the ONC and NIST websites (see listing below).  Beyond this, we cannot provide technical or implementation services assistance on how a prescriber vendor should or could modify or configure their software to meet the requirements set forth by ONC.

• General ONC Website:  healthit.hhs.gov
• About ONC Generally:  http://healthit.hhs.gov/portal/server.pt/community/healthit_hhs_gov__onc/1200
• ONC Site on Meaningful Use:  http://healthit.hhs.gov/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=2996&mode=2
• ONC Website on Privacy and Security:  http://healthit.hhs.gov/portal/server.pt/community/healthit_hhs_gov__privacy_and_security/1147
• ONC Regulations FAQs:  http://healthit.hhs.gov/portal/server.pt/community/onc_regulations_faqs/3163
• ONC Website on Standards & Certification:  http://healthit.hhs.gov/portal/server.pt/community/healthit_hhs_gov__standards_and_certification/1153
• ONC Website on Certification Programs (including FAQs): http://healthit.hhs.gov/portal/server.pt/community/healthit_hhs_gov__certification_program/2884
• ONC Website on the Temporary Certification Program:  http://healthit.hhs.gov/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=2885&parentname=CommunityPage&parentid=72&mode=2&in_hi_userid=12059&cached=true.
• CMS Website on Meaningful Use:  https://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/35_Meaningful_Use.asp
• NIST Test Procedures:  http://healthcare.nist.gov/use_testing/effective_requirements.html

Does certification for purposes of Meaningful Use for E-Prescribing mean a prescriber vendor can connect to and transact on the Surescripts network?

No. Testing and certification for Meaningful Use to the ONC certification criterion does not and is not intended to be operationalized on the Surescripts network or to replace or modify Surescripts' existing requirements for connecting to and participating on the Surescripts network for the Surescripts Prescription Routing, Prescription History and/or Medication History Services and additional services on our network.

Would an electronically transmitted prescription that is converted to a fax by Surescripts (because the requested pharmacy is not electronically enabled) count towards the 40% e-prescribing threshold under the Meaningful Use program?

CMS issued an FAQ on September 22, 2010, Answer ID 10137.  We recommend that prescriber vendors review the referenced FAQ and contact CMS for further guidance if needed.