Clarifications:
- The intended scope of this certification criterion is the ability of health IT to electronically exchange information with external recipients.
- The criterion does not require prescriptions of controlled substances to be supported to demonstrate compliance with its requirements. Drugs and other substances that are considered controlled substances under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) have been removed from the test data.
- With the exception of which test data elements might be required, this certification criterion applies equally to both inpatient and ambulatory settings.
- Errors received during testing related to the max field requirement can be treated as a warning. This does not remove the requirement from a surveillance perspective nor the general need for mandatory fields to be populated with data as required by the standard. Please consult with ONC regarding the Electronic Prescribing (eRx) tool's interpretive requirements.
- It is beyond the scope of this certification criterion to require the capability to ensure that a provider is actively alerted when an electronic prescription fails. [see also 77 FR 54200] Health IT developers are advised, but not required, to include in its disclosures whether and how failed electronic prescriptions are presented to the end-user. Health IT developers are also advised to incorporate how failed electronic prescriptions are presented to the end-user in its end-user training materials.