Managing a client’s medications with ePrescribe

Within your account, you can review required client information and respond to ePrescribe alerts.

In this guide, we’ll cover:

• Reviewing client info for ePrescribe
• Adding a client’s allergies
• Addressing ePrescribe alerts
• FAQs

For details on prescriptions and managing pharmacies, see:

• Managing a client’s pharmacies
• Managing client prescriptions

Note: To add ePrescribe to your account, see Adding ePrescribe to your SimplePractice account. 

Reviewing client info for ePrescribe

To review or edit a client’s info saved for ePrescribe:

1. Navigate to the client’s Overview page
2. Select Medications > Manage medications

Here, you can review the client’s information, or make edits by clicking Edit.

The following information is required for each client:

• Legal first name
• Legal last name
• Date of birth
  • If the client is a minor, their Height (inches) and Weight (Pounds) are also required
• Sex
• Client’s street address
  • If you don’t know the client’s address, check the box for Unknown address

• Client’s city
• State
• ZIP Code

Important: The information here is saved for ePrescribe only. To update the client’s profile in your SimplePractice account, click edit client info to be taken to the client’s Client info page.

Adding a client’s allergies

To add a client’s drug allergies:

1. Navigate to the client’s Overview page
2. Select Medications > Manage medications > Continue

Note: Clicking Continue will open the DrFirst ePrescribe window, which may take a moment to load.

1. Scroll to Allergies
2. If the client doesn’t have any known drug allergies, click Mark patient NKDA
3. To add the client’s known drug allergies, click the + icon

4. Type in the Allergen and click Search
5. Choose the Matching Allergen / Group

6. Enter the Reaction(s) and click Add Reaction
7. Type in the Severity and click Add Severity
8. Select the Onset Date
9. Click Save 

Note: To delete an allergy, click the three dots next to the allergy and select Delete.

Addressing ePrescribe alerts

Your ePrescribe alerts represent important updates from a pharmacy, such as refills, changes, and cancellations. You’ll receive these via email. 

Click sign in directly from the email to view the alert.

Note: Alert emails are required and can’t be disabled. 

To access your ePrescribe alerts:

1. Click ePrescribe in the left navigation menu

2. Select View next to the alert you’d like to see

Note: Only the primary ePrescribing clinician will receive these ePrescribe alerts on the ePrescribe tab. These alerts won't be accessible to any registered non-clinical or clinical staff team members.  

Alerts are updated every 20 minutes. You’ll be able to view how much time has passed since the last update.

To exit from your ePrescribe alerts, click anywhere outside the alerts column or the x next to the ePrescribe tab.

Pending prescriptions

You’ll receive an alert for Pending prescriptions when a prescription has been written, but hasn’t been sent to a pharmacy yet. 

When you click View for an alert about Pending prescriptions, you’ll be taken to the Prescription Summary page.

Here, you can take the following actions:

• To edit the prescription, click the pencil icon
• To favorite the prescription, click the star icon
• To delete the prescription, click the trash can icon
• To send the prescription, enter your Signature Password and click Send

You may also need to enter your Signing Passphrase and Token Pin for a controlled substance

Pharmacy requests

An alert for Pharmacy requests will appear when a pharmacy has sent over a request. To address this:

1. Click ePrescribe
2. Choose View next to Pharmacy requests

The Pharmacy Messages page in DrFirst will appear. Each client will be listed with their prescription and additional details of the request from the pharmacy.

Examples of pharmacy requests include but aren’t limited to:

• Generic substitution request
• Prescription change request
• Renewal request

To respond to a request:

1. Under Response, choose an Action
2. Add any additional required fields or notes for the pharmacist
3. Click Send

FAQs

• Can I auto-populate a client’s active medications into their documentation?
• Can I disable Clinical Alerts?
• Can I use the iPrescribe mobile app to ePrescribe?
• Can I use the SimplePractice mobile app to ePrescribe?
• How do I generate a report of medication history, including the reason why a medication was discontinued?
• How do I set up cross-coverage in my group practice?
• How do I perform a data export for ePrescribe?
• How do I request and process Prior Authorization for medication electronically?
• I entered a free text medication by accident. How do I fix it?
• I want to change my Signature Password. How do I do that?
• Is height and weight required?
• Which team members can access a client’s Medications tab?

Can I auto-populate a client’s active medications into their documentation?

You can add a client’s active medications when you’re creating or editing a progress or psychotherapy note. 

Note: To view a client’s active medications, see Viewing a client’s medications.

To do this, select the Rx button in the note’s text box.

Clicking this button will enter this text: {client_active_medication_list}. Once the note is saved, each active medication will populate with the following information:

• Name, Strength, Form
• Dose
• Route
• Timing
• Start date
• Additional notes, if added 
  • This populates from the Additional Directions To Patient field, accessible from the DrFirst ePrescribe window

This is how an active medication will appear in a saved note:

Tip: You can also auto-populate other information saved as snippets in a progress or psychotherapy note. For more information, see Using snippets.

Can I disable Clinical Alerts?

Clinical Alerts can appear in DrFirst when you’re setting up a prescription. These are intended to highlight potential concerns for client safety.

If there are Clinical Alerts associated with your prescription, you’ll be prompted to acknowledge the alert before submitting. Click Acknowledge Alerts to bypass.

Can I use the iPrescribe mobile app to ePrescribe?

To use the iPrescribe app on your mobile device, we can securely upload your login information to your account. 

Note: You won’t be able to create a client or update demographic information within the iPrescribe app. These changes can only be made in your SimplePractice account.

To get started with iPrescribe, please reach out to our team.

Note: SimplePractice is unable to offer support with the iPrescribe app. You can reach out to DrFirst directly for further assistance.

Can I use the SimplePractice mobile app to ePrescribe?

ePrescribe is only available in the SimplePractice web version.

How do I generate a report of medication history, including the reason why a medication was discontinued?

To generate a report of medication history, including the reason why a medication was discontinued:

1. Navigate to the client's Overview page
2. Click Medications > Manage medications > Continue
3. Next to Clinical Reports, choose Provider

Note: If you don’t see Clinical Reports in the DrFirst panel, reach out to our Customer Success team.

• To download the report, Export EHI
• To print the report, click the printer icon

How do I set up cross-coverage in my group practice?

If you’d like another clinician to ePrescribe for your client, you can add the clinician to the client’s Clinicians granted access list. To do this, see Granting clinician access.

Once the clinician has access, they’ll be able to view the client’s Medications tab.

Note: There isn’t a way to grant clinicians access in bulk. However, you can grant a clinician access to the Medications tab for all clients by updating their team member role to Clinician with entire practice access. To update a team member’s role, see Updating a team member’s roles.

Only the primary clinician will receive ePrescribe alerts for the client.

How do I perform a data export for ePrescribe?

To perform a data export for a client:

1. Navigate to the client’s Overview page
2. Click Medications > Manage medications > Continue
3. Next to Clinical Reports, select Patient 

Note: If you don’t see Clinical Reports in the DrFirst panel, reach out to our Customer Success team.

• Click the printer icon to print to bring or to save as a PDF for your records

Note: For any other ePrescribe reports, click the hamburger menu in the top left corner and select Reports.

How do I request and process Prior Authorization for medication electronically?

Electronic Prior Authorization (ePA) is a secure, electronic way to request and process Prior Authorization (PA) for medications. You’ll be alerted whether a PA is required when you’re creating a new prescription for the client.

While you’re creating the new prescription, click Start PA to initiate the ePA process.

Once completed, you’ll see an alert that lets you know that the process has been started.

You can view the status of your PA medications at any time by clicking Prior Authorizations.

To finish a Prior Authorization request from this list:

1. Click Complete

1. Answer the presented questions
2. Click Save

I entered a free text medication by accident. How do I fix it?

It’s important to select medications and allergies from the list provided in DrFirst, as these are coded to undergo clinical and formulary screening. Medications and allergies entered as free text won’t undergo the same screening.

If you choose a free text medication, you’ll receive a red alert notification after selecting it.

To fix this and choose a medication from the list provided, click Cancel.

If you choose a free text allergy, you’ll receive a yellow alert notification after selecting it.

To fix this, delete the allergy. Once deleted, re-add the allergy and select one from the list provided.

I want to change my Signature Password. How do I do that?

If you know your Signature Password and want to change it, you can update it within the DrFirst panel. To do this:

1. Open the DrFirst panel in SimplePractice
2. Click the hamburger menu in the upper left corner and choose Settings
3. Select Signature Password

1. Enter your Current Signature Password and your New Signature Password twice
2. Click Save

Important: If you forgot your Signature Password and need to reset it, reach out to our team.

Is height and weight required?

Only clients who are minors (18 years or younger) are required to have height and weight entered in their ePrescribe client information.

Which team members can access a client’s Medications tab?

Clinicians designated under Primary clinician or Clinicians granted access can view a client’s Medications tab. To update this designation, see Granting and revoking access to a client’s profile.

If a clinician with ePrescribe needs access to the Medications tab for all clients, their team member role can be updated to Clinician with entire practice access. To do this, see Updating a team member’s roles.

Account Owners and practice managers can grant the scheduler role permission to view active and inactive medications. Team members who only have the scheduler role and have been granted access to view medications won’t be able to edit, prescribe, or discontinue medications as they don’t have access within DrFirst.