Through its eRx Network, Emdeon is participating in a research project with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for e-prescribing of controlled substances. The project began in 2007, and the company believes the lessons learned can assist in developing implementation guidelines for the DEA's final rule for e-prescribing of controlled substances.

In commenting on the DEA's interim final rule, the company noted that it believes the industry will take a significant amount of time to implement formal standards that address all parts of the final rule and suggested that the DEA consider interim guidelines to support adoption variances to achieve quicker adoption.

"Security and data integrity are the most important factors driving the future success of e-prescribing of controlled substances," says Rick Sage, Emdeon's VP of clinical services and manager of the company's participation in the Massachusetts project. He notes that while the DEA's interim final rule requires some specific requirements that differ from the Massachusetts project, there are enough similarities to enable Emdeon to readily assist its partners in implementing and complying with the final rule, when published by the DEA.