iScribe Electronic Prescribing FAQ

For comments, feedback, or additional questions please contact iScribe Customer Support.

Prescribing

Is there a product demo?

Yes. Click here to see the available demos.

Can I prescribe from my PDA as well as within my iScribe web account? How and where will these events be record?

Yes, you can prescribe from both your PDA and web account, provided you are an approved and sponsored physician. Prescriptions you’ve printed or sent will be recorded in the patients’ prescription histories which can be accessed on your PDA and in your web account.

Can I add pharmacies to the list of available pharmacies?

You can send a request to add a pharmacy to service@iscribe.com. Since we must forward your request to our pharmacy coordinating partner (ProxyMed) for consideration, we cannot estimate how long this process will take.

We will try to accommodate requests but cannot guarantee their inclusion.

Can I prescribe for different patients and print all at once?

Yes. Instead of tapping “Print” after reviewing the Sig, simply tap “+Rx” to add the prescription to the print queue. To create a prescription for the next patient, tap “Back” and select the next patient. Select a drug and then tap “+Rx” to add the prescription to the queue. After generating the last prescription, tap “Print” to print all prescriptions in the queue. To view all the prescriptions in the queue, tap the menu icon and select “View Queues.” To print from the queue, tap “Print All.”

Can I prescribe multiple prescriptions for the same patient?

Yes. At the Print/Send screen, simply tap “+Rx.” You will be returned to the drug list to write the next prescription for that patient. After generating the last prescription, tap “Print” or “Send” to print or send all prescriptions in the queue.

Can I save multiple forms of the same drug to my Quick List?

Yes, you can save a standard Sig for each form and/or strength of the drug to your Quick List. At the review Sig screen, simply tap “+QL𔄭 to add the drug/strength combination to your Quick List. The drug name will appear in your Quick List. Tap the drug name to prescribe from the Quick List. If you have saved multiple drug/strength combinations, simply select the drop down to select the correct form and/or strength, and the iScribe system will present your preferred Sig for that form and/or strength.

How can I authorize someone else in my office to respond to renewal requests?

If you have created an administrator account, you can grant your administrator rights to act as an authorized agent for processing renewals by going to “Web Renewals” (under “Product Configuration”) in your iScribe web account and checking the “Authorize my administrator…” option.

How do I respond to an online renewal request that has already been approved by fax?

Emulate your fax response when addressing the online request. The pharmacy will recognize the prescription ID and will not refill multiple times, if approved.

How can I renew prescriptions on my PDA?

You may renew medications from the patient’s Rx History screen. Check box to select the drug(s) then tap “Renew.” Or you can tap on the drug name to review the Sig. To renew multiple medications, you need to first access Preferences (under the iScribe Options menu) and check box to turn on Multiple Renewals. Turning that on means iScribe will not display relevant messages when you select a group of drugs to renew. Relevant messages will still display when you renew one prescription at a time.

How can I request additions to the drug database?

You can request specific additions to the database at any time. We try to accommodate all requests within the limits of handheld memory. Please use Service Request form under Services & Tools on the My iScribe website.

How can I tell if a renewal was approved by me or by my administrator?

The renewal reply field will have initials/name of who responded to the request.

I sent the prescription electronically but the pharmacy did not receive it and the patient is waiting. How can I check the status?

You can check the “PDA Transmission Status” under Reports in your iScribe web account at any time, or you can contact the iScribe Help Desk at 1-877-483-1324 (email: service@iscribe.com) for assistance.

In the Select Pharmacy list, what does “R” next to the pharmacy name mean?

This means the pharmacy is capable of electronically sending renewal requests to your iScribe web account. If you have turned this option on (“Web Renewals” under “Product Configuration”), you will receive renewal requests and can approve or deny those requests via your account.

To which retail pharmacies can I electronically send prescriptions?

Through our partnership with ProxyMed, we are able to electronically relay prescriptions sent by you to pharmacy chains and independent retailers across the nation, including Costco, CVS, Eckerd, Publix, Rite Aid, and Walgreens. This network is expanding every day. The pharmacies that are ready to receive prescriptions electronically will be dependent on your specific region.

What is iScribe’s source for drug information?

The iScribe system provides drug information from First DataBank, which is also used by the majority of U.S. pharmacies, hospitals and pharmacy benefit managers, as well as all 50 state Medicaid programs. Drug database information is periodically updated and transferred to your handheld on a regular basis during the sync process.

What is the FC button in the upper right hand corner of the Sig screen?

This feature is available to providers who have PDAs with real-time wireless connectivity.

If you set your PDA to send prescriptions wirelessly and at sync, you can also tap the FC button to query the network to get patient & drug-specific formulary coverage status instead of more generalized plan level formulary status.

Why can’t I add a drug to the drug database?

Allowing custom entry could create a situation where a prescription is written for a drug that does not exist. This could cause additional pharmacy callbacks and inconvenience to prescribers, pharmacists and patients.

If you can’t find the drug for which you are looking, you can request that it be added. Please use Service Request form under Services & Tools on the My iScribe website.

Why can’t I find a specific drug in the drug database?

We have attempted to include as many commonly prescribed outpatient drugs as handheld memory will allow. We have not included many ICU and emergency medications that are not dispensed from an outpatient pharmacy. If you can’t find a drug, first check to see that you have the correct spelling. Second, look for the drug under its generic name. Drugs are listed by both generic and brand names.

Why can’t multiple drugs be printed on one prescription blank?

State board of pharmacy regulations require that prescriptions for controlled substances contain only one drug per prescription blank. In accordance with these regulations, we limit all prescriptions to one per blank. In this way, iScribe can ensure that pharmacists will not be forced to rewrite prescriptions or call the prescriber for a verbal order if a controlled substance is combined with another prescription on a single Rx blank.

Why can’t I find any Walgreens pharmacies when I do a search?

Enter the word “Walgreen” (no ‘S’) in the pharmacy name field. This is how their pharmacy is listed within the pharmacy database.

Why do some drugs print the strength twice (e.g. Zantac 75, 75mg) on the prescription?

Manufacturers control the names of the drugs they produce and sometimes include the strength as part of the drug name. When this is the case, the name of the drug may seem to duplicate the strength information on the printed prescription.

Why does Caremark keep coming up on top of my pharmacy list?

The iScribe list of pharmacies is optimized for the selection of our mail order pharmacy, Caremark mail service.

Why is my Quick List preloaded with drugs?

Your Quick List may have been preloaded with a set of preferred drugs provided by your health plan sponsor. You can add to your Quick List of drugs on your handheld—refer to the online training for an easy lesson on how to do this. To delete drugs from your Quick List or edit any Quick List Sig, visit the My iScribe website and click on “My Drug QuickList” under My Account.

You can also edit QuickList Sigs on your PDA. While prescribing, select the drug, edit any of the Sig fields, and tap “+QL” to change the instructions for that strength-form combination saved to your QuickList.

Will I get any confirmation that the prescriptions were sent to the pharmacy(ies)?

You can check in “PDA Transmission Status” under the “Reports” section in your iScribe web account at any time, or please contact iScribe Help Desk at 1-877-483-1324 (email: service@iscribe.com) for assistance.

How does drug interaction checking work in iScribe? Is that what DDI means?

On your PDA, the electronic prescribing tool features a Severe Drug Interaction Checker that you can turn on/off via the Preferences screen on the handheld. On the web, drug interaction checking is automatically performed between the pharmacy requested renewal and drugs in the patient’s prescription history. If a possible severe interaction is detected, it will be indicated in the messages section of the pharmacy renewal request.

DDI is short for drug to drug interaction. Clicking on the Drug Interaction Checker (DDI Checker) on your My iScribe home page will open Caremark’s drug interaction tool that is available to all Caremark members.

How often are the drug and formulary lists updated?

Drug and formulary information is updated monthly and will be automatically reflected in your web account. You will need to perform regular syncs to transfer the updates to your PDA.

Formulary Information

How do I access formulary alternatives?

The formulary status code is presented to the left of the drug name. To access preferred alternatives by therapeutic category, tap on the code to the left of the drug name. Simply tap on a drug from the list to prescribe it or tap “Prescribe Original” to continue with the original prescription.

What do the formulary codes mean?

The formulary codes provide standard formulary status levels for both tiered and non-tiered plans. Formulary codes that are presented to the left of the drug name (if a health plan is selected) provide information to the prescriber on coverage level of drug based on the health plan selected.

Formulary codes are shown in two categories:

Non Tiered Plan
P = Preferred
SP = Special Designated Pharmacy
F = On Formulary
PA = Prior authorization needed
NP = Non-preferred
NC = Not Covered
NF = Non-formulary
NFC = Not On Formulary (covered)
NFX = Not On Formulary (Not Covered)
OTC = Over the Counter

Tiered Plan — First character (#) represents the tier (1, 2, 3)
#P = Preferred
#SP = Special Designated Pharmacy
#T = On Formulary
#PA = Prior authorization needed
#NP = Non-preferred
#NF = Non-formulary
#DL = Dispensing Limit

To review definition information on the handheld, tap the menu icon and select Definitions. Tab between the available sets of definitions.

What if I can’t find the formulary for which I am looking?

You can request additions to the formulary database at any time. Please email service@iscribe.com the following information: Organization name (as it appears on card) Type of organization Co-pay information Organization contact information (address, city, state, Zip code, phone number) Also, please provide a contact name and number for your office, in case InfoScan needs more information from your practice.

What is a “Baseline Formulary?”

You may have been provided with a Baseline Formulary from a sponsoring health plan. This formulary has been set as the default formulary so that if you do not select an alternate, you will receive formulary information based on that sponsor’s plan.

What is iScribe’s source for formulary information?

iScribe receives formulary information from InfoScan, a national vendor of health plan drug coverage information. InfoScan updates their formulary information at the plan level. Formulary information may also be received via RxHub for Caremark plans. Updates to formulary information are provided to iScribe routinely and are transferred to iScribe prescribers during the sync process.

Patient Management

Caremark PBM and Mail Order Eligible fields shows a “?,” What does that mean and can I still send electronically?

It means the iScribe system has no information for that patient. Yes, you can still send prescriptions electronically.

Can I add, delete or edit individual patient entries on the web?

Yes. You can add, delete and edit patient records from the web through the My iScribe website. Under My Account, click on “My Patients” to enter New Patient information. Use the search for patients feature to locate and edit or delete existing patient records.

Can I restore patient entries that were deleted?

Yes. If you accidentally deleted a patient record on the handheld or on the web, you can restore that record by visiting the My iScribe website. Under My Account, click on “My Patients” and click “Restore Deleted Patients.”

How can I delete a patient from my handheld and web?

Delete individual patient entries on the handheld by tapping on the folder to the left of the patient’s name on the select patients screen. From there, you can tap “Delete” to delete that patient entry. You can also add, delete and edit patient records from the web through the My iScribe website. Under My Account, click on “My Patients” to enter new patient information. Use the Search For Patients feature to locate and edit or delete existing patient records.

Is there a difference between Demographics and Contact Info?

Demographic includes information such as name, date of birth, sex, SSN, patient ID. Contact Info includes the patient’s street address, phone, ZIP; information required to electronically send prescriptions to pharmacies.

The Caremark PBM and Mail Order Eligible info: I tried tapping to edit this field since my patient says they are eligible and my PDA shows a “?.” How can I update this?

Using the iScribe website, perform an Dispensed Claims History search for that patient and then sync your PDA to update their eligibility status. If you have a PDA with wireless connectivity, you can also perform an on-demand formulary check via the drug’s detail screen.

Why are the changes I made in My Patients on the Web not appearing on the handheld?

In order for changes made on the web to appear on the handheld, you must sync the device while connected to the internet to transfer the updates.

Why must I enter a patient’s address to send a prescription to a retail pharmacy?

The electronic prescription process requires this information to help verify the correct patient is receiving her/his prescriptions.

Patient Histories

What is the difference between Rx History and Dispensed Claims History?

Rx History is a list of the prescriptions you have written using the iScribe system. This can include new prescriptions you’re written and pharmacy renewal requests you’ve approved Dispensed Claims History is the list of claims pulled from Caremark claims data. If your patient has Caremark pharmacy benefits and has prescriptions filled via those benefits, you may be able to access that information and store it in your iScribe account.

Can I renew from the Dispensed Claim History?

Yes, you can, but you will need to provide Sig information to turn that history into a valid renewable prescription, since the claims prescription histories do not store that information.

How can I delete a drug from a patient’s history?

From the patient list screen, tap on the file folder icon to the left of the patient’s name to bring up the history folder. Tap on the arrow at the top of the screen to select Rx History. Tap the check box to the left of the drug you wish to delete and tap the “Delete” button at the bottom of the screen.

You can also bring up a patient’s history by tapping the patient name and then tapping the “Hx” button at the bottom of the screen. The Hx button will only appear if there is a prescription in that patient’s history. Tap the check box to the left of the drug you wish to delete and tap the “Delete” button at the bottom of the screen.

How can I remove all prescription histories from the handheld to save memory on the handheld?

To save memory on the handheld, you can remove prescription histories from the handheld for a specified period of time (e.g. prescriptions older than three months, six months or a year). This option is available on My iScribe website under Product Configuration, Remove PDA Hxs. Any histories that are removed from your iScribe handheld will still be accessible from the iScribe website.

The Printed Prescription

Can I capture and print my signature on the iScribe system?

iScribe includes digitized signature capabilities. Printed prescriptions will include a printed version of your exact signature. Please be aware that it may be necessary for you to re-sign in ink any prescriptions for controlled substances, if required by your state’s Board of Pharmacy. Please note, printing with an electronic signature increases the printing time for the prescription.

To enter your signature on the handheld:

Tap the Menu icon
Select Signature
Enter your signature in the box
Enter special DAW language, if prompted
Tap “Save”

How can I change the practice information that prints on the prescriptions?

You can modify certain information in your prescription header from the My iScribe website. Click on “Product Configuration” and select “Rx Header.” If there is a mistake with your medical license, DEA, phone or fax numbers, please call Customer Service at 1-877-483-1324.

I am a NP/PA; where do I enter the name of my supervising physician so that it will print in header of the prescription?

You can modify your prescription header information from the My iScribe website. Click on “Product Configuration” and select “Rx Header.” You can use the first few fields for any additional information that must print on your prescription header.

My prescriptions are not printing perfectly. The print on the label is being cut off. What can I do?

Although the system is set to a standard default, each printer is slightly different. Therefore, we have included a feature within the preferences screen that will allow you to shift the margins slightly to accommodate these printer changes.

Tap the menu icon and view Preferences. You can make adjustments as fine as 0.01 of an inch (+ or -). For more assistance, please contact service@iscribe.com or call toll free 1-877-483-1324.

What type of paper is required to print prescriptions from the iScribe?

State-specific prescription paper is required to print in-office prescriptions. Samples of your state-specific prescription paper will be included in your welcome kit (except in NJ). You can order additional prescription paper from our paper supplier through the re-order Rx paper link from the My iScribe website under Services & Tools.

For some states, a PDF template of the prescription paper is available. This template can be used to photocopy prescription blanks to be used in your dedicated printer(s). The prescription paper template currently is available for users in Illinois and South Carolina. The template is accessible after registration in the Services & Tools section of the My iScribe website. Prescription paper for all states is available through DBS, an authorized vendor, and can be ordered directly from DBS for approximately $90/1000 sheets. Note: Prescribers in New Jersey must order paper from our authorized vendor. The paper follows state-specific formatting and includes a convenient peel-off label for easily updating of patient charts. Once you have completed the registration process, you will be able to order online directly from DBS using a link from the My iScribe website. Or, you can contact DBS toll free at 1-800-778-6247.

Why is there so much white space between the prescription and the peel-off label?

This area is used to provide additional information, such as the integrated Caremark mail order form. In the future, it may also include a reminder for the patient when you send a prescription order to a local pharmacy or patient education about the prescribed medication.