Surescripts Leads Industry-Wide NCPDP Upgrades to Improve Patient Safety, Workflow Efficiency

Surescripts Engages Network Alliance Participants to Implement Updated Industry Standards for Electronic Prescribing, Electronic Prior Authorization and More

Surescripts®, the nation’s leading health information network, is working to implement the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) SCRIPT Standard Version 2023011, Real-Time Prescription Benefit v13 and Formulary and Benefit v60 standards upgrades following the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) publication of the final rule on June 13, 2024.

“These standards upgrades make critical improvements to a number of essential exchanges of patient clinical and benefit information that support better quality care and ensure the highest level of patient safety possible,” said Tara Dragert, Chief Product Officer for Surescripts. “We will continue to work closely with NCPDP and Surescripts Network Alliance participants to seamlessly implement these upgrades, focusing on the needs of patients and those who care for them.”

Surescripts is upgrading several solutions to meet the NCPDP SCRIPT Standard Version 2023011, including E-Prescribing, Electronic Prior Authorization and Medication History for Ambulatory & Medication History for Reconciliation, in addition to the Real-Time Prescription Benefit v13 and Formulary and Benefit v60 standards which apply to Surescripts Real-time Prescription Benefit and Formulary that help prescribers make better informed and less costly prescription medication decisions alongside patients.

“We are pleased that the final rule has been announced for the updated versions of the named NCPDP SCRIPT and Formulary & Benefit Standards and the newly named NCPDP Real-Time Prescription Benefit Standard,” said Lee Ann Stember, President & CEO of NCPDP. “These standards provide for the seamless exchange of data for better informed clinical decision making at the point of care to improve healthcare quality and patient safety. We look forward to supporting effective implementation of these important standards with education and tools as industry stakeholders begin planning for these updates.”

CMS has established the following compliance dates for entities to transition to the new standards:

• January 1, 2027 – Real Time Prescription Benefit v13 and Formulary and Benefit v60; and
• January 1, 2028 – SCRIPT Standard Version 2023011.

“We’ve spent the last few months preparing for these standards upgrades with the Network Alliance, offering education sessions, along with ongoing communications and self-service tools to make this upgrade process as simple as possible as we continue to improve health intelligence sharing across the country,” Dragert added.

The NCPDP SCRIPT Standard Version 2023011 will replace the NCPDP SCRIPT Standard Version 2017071 as the Part D Electronic Prescribing Standard.

The National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) is a not-for-profit American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited Standards Developer (ASD) consisting of more than 1,500 members representing entities including, but not limited to, claims processors, data management and analysis vendors, federal and state government agencies, insurers, intermediaries, pharmaceutical manufacturers, pharmacies, pharmacy benefit managers, professional services organizations, software and system vendors and other parties interested in electronic standardization within the pharmacy services sector of the healthcare industry.

More information about the upgrades: https://surescripts.com/NCPDP-2023-upgrade.

Background:

For the last two decades, Surescripts has served the nation through simpler, trusted health intelligence sharing, in order to increase patient safety, lower costs and ensure quality care is accessible to patients no matter where they live.

In 2023, Surescripts and the network alliance, have continued to evolve as the nation’s leading health information network, supporting nearly 24 billion exchanges of patient clinical and benefit information, connecting 2.14 million care providers and organizations and reaching more than 99% of the U.S. population.

Surescripts is committed to advancing health intelligence sharing and focuses on innovations that aim to help healthcare heal itself, delivering real-time care and cost intelligence that dramatically improves the lives of patients and those who care for them.

About Surescripts

Our purpose is to serve the nation through simpler, trusted health intelligence sharing, in order to increase patient safety, lower costs and ensure quality care. At Surescripts, we align healthcare organizations across the nation and convene the Surescripts Network Alliance® to give healthcare professionals the trusted insights they need to serve patients. Together, we’re making interoperability an everyday reality, making it simpler to choose medications patients can afford and adhere to, and getting specialty medications to patients more efficiently. Visit us at surescripts.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

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