Electronic Prescribing Waiver for Nursing Home Residents Extended

The Department of Health (DOH) has extended the blanket waiver of the State's electronic prescribing requirements for practitioners serving residents of nursing homes through Oct. 31, 2024. The waiver applies to practitioners prescribing controlled and non-controlled substances through Official NYS Prescription Forms or oral prescriptions communicated by the prescribers' agents and to pharmacists dispensing controlled and non-controlled substances based on those prescriptions.

The blanket waiver was initially issued in response to LeadingAge NY's advocacy in 2017, when the electronic prescribing requirements were first implemented, and has been extended annually. The waivers have been issued in light of the operational challenges associated with implementing electronic prescribing in the nursing home setting, including limitations in nursing home electronic health record platforms and challenges posed by prescribers who are not generally on-site round-the-clock and who practice at multiple sites.

The blanket waiver is available here. This year's extension was apparently issued on Sept. 1, 2023, but was not circulated to nursing homes, or posted on the Department's website or the Health Commerce System (HCS), until this week.

Contact: Karen Lipson, klipson@leadingageny.org