Contents
In line with its mission, the Editorial Board of MedTvoiLokony makes every effort to provide reliable medical content supported by the latest scientific knowledge. The additional flag “Checked Content” indicates that the article has been reviewed by or written directly by a physician. This two-step verification: a medical journalist and a doctor allows us to provide the highest quality content in line with current medical knowledge.
Our commitment in this area has been appreciated, among others, by by the Association of Journalists for Health, which awarded the Editorial Board of MedTvoiLokony with the honorary title of the Great Educator.
From January 8, 2020, doctors will be required to issue an e-prescription to the patient, i.e. a prescription in an electronic form. Many questions and doubts have arisen around the e-prescription. How much is important? What about paper recipes that we haven’t filled yet? What to do if there is a mistake on the prescription? We explain.
- From January 8, 2020, doctors are required to issue e-prescriptions. In justified cases, the doctor may issue a paper prescription, which will be treated in the same way as an electronic prescription. We explain when such a situation may arise
- In the case of an incorrectly issued e-prescription, please contact your doctor. The Healthcare Information Systems Center provides in which cases the e-prescription can be filled despite errors
- The e-prescription is valid for 365 days by default. In some cases, this time is shortened
E-prescription in every doctor’s office
We have known about the obligation to issue and fulfill e-prescriptions for several months. From January 8, 2020, the doctor will be required to issue a prescription to the patient in an electronic form.
The exceptions are:
- prescriptions issued under target import (the drug is imported from abroad),
- prescriptions of undetermined identity (without personal data),
- cross-border prescriptions – prescriptions issued by a person authorized to issue prescriptions in accordance with the law of a Member State of the European Union or a Member State of the European Free Trade Association (until the end of 2020),
- pro auctore (prescription for the issuer) and pro familiae (prescription for the spouse, ascendant, descendant or sibling of the issuer).
We will also get a paper prescription from a doctor if there is no access to the e-health system (device, system or internet failure).
According to the Ministry of Health, the main goal of e-prescription is to facilitate the process of filling prescriptions, as well as reducing errors, optimizing time on the part of doctors and pharmacists and eliminating false and illegible prescriptions.
Electronic prescriptions generate a lot of fear and doubts. Most questions concern the fulfillment of prescriptions, their expiry date and what to do if a doctor issues a prescription incorrectly. What to do then?
What to do when the doctor issues an e-prescription?
The patient receives an e-prescription in one of three forms:
- a paper information printout, similar to a paper prescription, with a barcode for the prescription and a four-digit access code, as well as all information needed to fill the prescription,
- an e-mail containing a printout in PDF form,
- an SMS that includes a prescription access code and a four-digit PIN.
The last two forms of e-prescription can be obtained if we have an Internet Patient account. It is worth having access to it, because it provides access not only to e-prescriptions, but also to e-exemptions and e-referrals that will be available soon.
How to set up an Internet Patient Account? First, we need a trusted profile. This can be done online, e.g. through the bank’s application, or at the confirmation point. After creating a trusted profile, we can go to the website patient.gov.pl and set up an Internet Patient Account.
Thanks to IKP, we have access to e-prescriptions, we can also preview the dosage and check access to e-prescriptions of relatives, e.g. children. If we want to have access to the IKP account from the smartphone’s position, it is worth downloading the mObywatel application.
How to redeem an e-prescription at a pharmacy?
1. We show the pharmacist the information printout that we received from the doctor or
2. download the PDF file that we received in the e-mail to the phone and show it to the pharmacist or
3. We provide the PESEL number and pin code from the SMS.
If the e-prescription contains several items, the drugs can be purchased at several pharmacies. We do not need a prescription for this. At each pharmacy, we show the printout or provide the PIN code.
We do not have to fulfill the prescription in person. It is enough for the person who buys the drugs for us to have an information printout or a PIN or PDF code with an e-prescription.
How many drugs can be purchased at one pharmacy?
As we wrote – if the prescription contains more than one medicinal preparation, we can buy drugs in different pharmacies, each time using the same e-prescription. The exception is when, for example, we have several packages of a given drug, e.g. five, and we only buy two at the pharmacy. For the remaining three packages, we will have to return to the same pharmacy.
Important! There is one drug per e-prescription. The maximum number of e-prescriptions in a packet is 5 (i.e., in practice, 5 drugs).
See how easy it is! The e-prescription will be issued to the patient within 10 minutes. Make an appointment with a doctor here!
Will it be possible to fill paper prescriptions at the pharmacy?
Patients also worry whether they will be able to dispose of paper prescriptions issued before that date after January 8, 2020. What to do if, for example, on 20.12.2019/20.01.2020/XNUMX we received a prescription with a fulfillment date from XNUMX/XNUMX/XNUMX? Such a question was asked, among others on Mr. Tablets profile. We calm down. A paper prescription can be realized on the same principles as before.
Paper prescriptions will be issued even after January 8, 2020. The patient may receive such a prescription, for example, if the e-prescription system is broken or, for example, the doctor does not have access to it at the moment (e.g. during a home visit). Such a prescription will include all discounts and refunds.
What to do when an e-prescription is issued incorrectly?
Some of the incorrectly issued e-prescriptions can be filled in a pharmacy after prior verification of the data. This applies, for example, to the dose of a medicinal product or food intended for particular nutritional uses. As we read on the website of the Healthcare Information Systems Center, in this case the issuing person assumes that this is the smallest dose authorized in the territory of the Republic of Poland. You can read more about what to do when a prescription is issued incorrectly at https://www.csioz.gov.pl/e-zdrowie-p1/e-recepta/.
Alternatively, the patient may contact the doctor and request a re-prescription, this time correctly. Then it downloads a new code in the form of an SMS or reads it from an email. Another option is to buy the drug with 100 percent. against payment.
How long is an e-prescription valid?
The e-prescription is valid for 365 days. The exception is e-prescriptions for antibiotics – their validity is 7 days. In the case of intoxicating and psychotropic drugs, the validity is 30 days, and in the case of immunological preparations – 120 days.
However, it is necessary to take into account Art. 96a paragraph. 7a of the Pharmaceutical Law, which says that after 30 days from the date of issuing the e-prescription or the date of its implementation “from the date”, it is implemented except for the days of use that have already expired, counting them from the date issued on the prescription or placed on the prescription. on the prescription of the date of implementation “from the date”.
What does this mean in practice? If the doctor prescribes the amount of the drug for the maximum duration of therapy, usually 360 days (in some cases, e.g. 180 days), and we will fill the prescription, e.g. after 60 days, we will receive the drugs only for the remaining 300 days. The e-prescription is only valid for the duration of the treatment.
In an interview with Onet Zdrowie, pharmacist Marcin Piątek assessed the introduction of e-prescriptions:
– In general, I evaluate the e-prescription very well. I believe that this is a great tool and will become a great convenience in the future. At this point, however, the problem is dynamically changing law. Amendments to e-prescription laws appear frequently. Further fires are extinguished by the amendments. Consequently, there is confusion. There are problems with linking the content of prescriptions and their electronic layer, e.g. the prescribed drug reads drug B or drug A, but in a different dose / pack size. E-prescriptions with recipes are also difficult. You can read more about the problems of pharmacists on Twitter under the slogan #PiatekZeRecepta, in the action of collecting bugs, which I am the initiator.
All conversation: Is this the end of paper prescriptions? Soon e-prescriptions will become mandatory
What do you think about e-prescriptions? Will they make life easier or more difficult for patients? Or maybe we will get used to them quickly?
You haven’t been able to find the cause of your ailments for a long time? Do you want to tell us your story or draw attention to a common health problem? Write to the address [email protected] #Together we can do more
The content of the medTvoiLokony website is intended to improve, not replace, the contact between the Website User and their doctor. The website is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Before following the specialist knowledge, in particular medical advice, contained on our Website, you must consult a doctor. The Administrator does not bear any consequences resulting from the use of information contained on the Website.
Source: Healthcare Information Systems Center, facebook.com/mgrfront/, praw.pl