Important Update: On November 2, 2021, CMS published its Calendar Year (CY) 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule. Among the finalized provisions in the final rule, enforcement for electronic prescribing of controlled substances (ePCS) for Medicare Part D beneficiaries has been delayed until January 1, 2023. For more information, please read CMS Finalizes Electronic Prescribing of ePCS Deadline.
On July 13, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed delaying, once again, the deadline for electronic prescribing of controlled substances (ePCS) for Medicare Part D beneficiaries until 2023, while adding new exceptions to the requirements. The agency included this provision in its annual Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) proposed rule, along with numerous other policy changes for Medicare programs and payments in calendar year 2022.
A 2018 law requires CMS to make ePCS mandatory for the Medicare Part D program. Last year, CMS established a January 1, 2022 deadline for this provision (delaying it from January 1, 2021) and named the electronic standard that prescribers must use.
In addition to a new deadline of January 1, 2023, CMS has proposed adding several exceptions to the requirement, including one to exclude prescribers who issue 100 or fewer controlled substances prescriptions for Part D drugs per calendar year.
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Check out the CMS press release and fact sheet.