In the early 2000s, as the nation moved towards e-prescribing, Ken Whittemore was one of the key drivers and proponents of this new technology. By 2007, as a result of the efforts of Surescripts and other stakeholders, e-prescribing had become legal in all 50 states. Three years later, the regulatory climate was ready for the next leap in e-prescribing: in March 2010, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued an Interim Final Rule (IFR) allowing for the electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS) across the nation.

On the 10th anniversary of the rule, and in the midst of the greatest health crisis the world has faced in sometime, I sat down with Ken, Surescripts Vice President of Professional & Regulatory Affairs, to talk about the history and the impact of getting EPCS adopted nationwide. For years, he’s zeroed in on getting patients the medications they need, safely and securely. And that singular vision has paid off.

It’s 2030. What are you most proud of having helped accomplish in healthcare?

www.GetEPCS.com

When you talk with peers who are working on EPCS, what topics, trends or advances are you touching on lately?

How would you talk about EPCS with lay people who may not be aware of the technology?

telehealth providers to e-prescribe controlled substances

Not counting colleagues at Surescripts, who do you consider influencers, innovators or leaders in the field of e-prescribing?

Dr. Atul Gawande

"It's Time to Adopt Electronic Prescriptions for Opioids"

attention

Who or what inspires you?

Alex Zanardi

Like me, you might be thinking: ‘Ten years is a long time to be interim.’ Ken explained that, back in 2010, it was thought that the IFR would evolve to a final rule once the industry had some experience operating under the IFR and could provide useful feedback to the DEA. But since it’s working so well, why change it?

UPDATE (April 21, 2020): Well, the DEA has decided that the time has finally come. The agency has reopened its comment period on the IFR to allow EPCS via a notice posted in today’s Federal Register. Surescripts will respond to the questions posed by the DEA prior to the June 22, 2020 deadline.

For more information on EPCS, check out GetEPCS.com and our National Progress Report.

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Five Questions: Ken Whittemore Talks Past, Present & Future of E-Prescribing Controlled Substances