The state of New York passed legislation of I-STOP (Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescribing) in 2016 to change and monitor the way drugs are prescribed to people. This measure was introduced to cope with the growing death ratio of US citizens due to opioid overuse.
As per this law, all substances including controlled substances must be e-prescribed from March 27, 2016. This was made mandatory because too many people in 2016 died due to opioid abuse and the situation worsened in 2017 with over 70,000 deaths as per the CDC report. Let’s find out more about what is I-STOP below.
The Benefits of I-STOP
Now that you know what is I-STOP, let’s focus on its advantages. I-STOP allows better assessment of the patients being treated with controlled substances. Here are all the benefits of I-STOP for practitioners, including those providing telehealth services in New York state.
It helps in preventing the occurrence of prescription fraud.
Negates the drug overdose and abuse that is common in healthcare these days.
Since it is a fully electronic prescription system, physicians don’t have to worry about prescription pads getting stolen and used illegally.
The chances of prescription error in I-STOP are zero.
Provides the best way to track and monitor controlled substance prescriptions.
The effortless access to a patient’s prescription in I-STOP prevents the doctor’s shopping.
The Law of I-STOP (Why is I-STOP Needed?)
You can argue why we would need I-STOP when there are so many good controls today in healthcare systems. It is required to prevent the increased rate of death in the US due to substance overdose. Here are the most important points you should know about this law.
I-STOP law has made it mandatory that the Prescription Monitoring Program must be consulted before issuing a prescription controlled substance in New York.
From March 27, 2016, all substances, including controlled substances must be e-prescribed.
The Prescription Pain Medication Awareness Program, A Safe Prescription Drug Disposal Program, and Revised Controlled Substance Schedules by the state must be followed.
Only Veterinarians are exempted from I-STOP.
How Can I-Stop Affect My Practice?
All New York prescribers have to consult the Prescription Monitoring Program before writing a prescription that falls into schedule II, III, and IV controlled substances, effective from August 2013.
All the prescribers must have a Health Commerce system account which can be applied online via the New York State Department of Health.
As a practitioner, it is now mandatory for you to prescribe all the drugs electronically.
Take Away
The state of New York in 2016 introduced a new legislation of I-STOP that will help them control the growing number of deaths in the US due to opioid overuse. This law requires practitioners to prescribe drugs electronically and adhere to some other rules to ensure that patients don’t get an overdose. Hopefully, you now have a good understanding of what is I-Stop and why it is important.
