In Argentina Today, many links in the health chain use digital platforms to prescribe drugs electronically, but the next 1st of July It will mean a turning point for the system at the national level. That day Decree 345/2024 will come into force with the new regulations of Law 27553 of digital recipes that, in a way progressive but mandatorywill introduce this key change in the way medical professionals prescribe medications and treatments.
With this system we search facilitate the process and contribute to the security and the efficiency in healthcare. However, like any process transformation, it poses challenges in terms of Data Protection and the systems adaptation and the professionalsadded to the fact that, in a country the size of Argentina, with large sectors without access to the Internet, at least on a stable basis, the issuance of prescriptions may be difficult.
As far as he could know Infobae from qualified sources Ministry of Health of the Nation, The priority is always the patients, and therefore, it will be guaranteed continuity of treatments, since the paper recipe will continue to be used whenever the new modality, for whatever reason, is not accessible.
With well-defined quality standards, the electronic prescription will ensure that only registered and qualified professionals issue prescriptions, said the spokesperson for the national health portfolio. Furthermore, it will facilitate the traceability of the drug prescription and delivery process because it simplifies administrative tasks. The promoters of the initiative trust that it will also provide tools to doctors to take treatment decisions more informed.
The plan of implementation of the electronic prescription will start on July 1 and also contemplates a accession, registration and adaptation period of 180 days. This It will come into effect upon publication of a provision of the Ministry of Health that will be published this week in the Official Gazette.
The program also covers the integration and standardization of the systems that are registered to create a coherent and efficient national network. The strategy adopted is comprehensive and evolutionary, which means that it will seek continually adapt and improve the technologies in use to ensure their compatibility and effectiveness. According to the Ministry of Health, connections between the different platforms will be strengthened to allow electronic prescriptions to be issued, transmitted and received without obstacles to facilitate access and monitoring of medical treatments anywhere in the country.
The sources consulted highlighted Infobae that will be guaranteed identity protection of patients and their personal information, but at the same time the system will allow the State to obtain data reliable, orderly and anonymous, of the health conditions of the population, which will guide health policies and contribute to the quality of health services.
“The Patient’s Right law, the Personal Data Protection law, the Cybersecurity law, and the law on the Use of Generics, all these aspects are being considered in the process of digitizing prescriptions,” the source added.
The implementation of the electronic prescription was formalized through the Decree of Necessity and Urgency (DNU) 70/23 and the Decree 345/2024 published in the Official Gazette on April 22, which establishes the new regulation of the National Electronic Prescription Law 27553, enacted in August 2020.
This rule, although it had been regulated by Decree 98/2023 of February of last year, its implementation had been left halfway. With the new regulations, the current government established the obligatory of electronic medical prescription throughout the national territory.
For tomorrow, the Minister of Health Mario Russo He called on his peers from the 24 districts of the country to talk about the start of the digital prescription implementation program.
According to what sources from the Health portfolio led by Mario told this medium Russonext Monday the execution of the Implementation plan for electronic prescriptions that establishes a change in the modality of medication prescriptions, study orders and practices indicated by professionals who, progressively, will begin to be carried out through digital platforms.
This means that an instance of adequacy. The Ministry called on interested developers to register in the recently created National Registry of Digital Health Platforms (ReNaPDiS). All systems must adapt their software, if necessary, to the requirements stipulated by the governing body, which is the health portfolio itself.
The ReNaPDiS has the objective of improving the processes of modernization and interoperability between systems which implies the correct adoption of good practices defined by the technical-health teams. Furthermore, in the period established for registration, the successive accession of the provinces as they are incorporated into this type of prescription. “The objective is that all provinces can converge in the use of digital platforms during this period,” the source clarified.
The spokesperson consulted stressed that “People are not going to have any problems” when the plan comes into effect. “First of all, many of the prescribers, health establishments or doctors, already have their solutions digitized” and these will remain in force.
But in addition, he said, “we establish a contingency period which has been defined in 180 days allowing us to convene, invite and contain all of these different e-prescribing solutions, establish adequacyof standardization and of homogenization of these platforms so that they can be used by all parties.”
The senior official who spoke with this media on the subject added that eventualities can occur due to “a lack of communication, since every system can have a temporary interruption and there always has to be an alternative contingency process, because The most important thing is that the citizen is not left without the prescription” for his medications.. He also assured that the Ministry considers that there are “inhospitable places where there is never connectivity or there is temporarily no connectivity” so it will be, in those regions, a contingency option that will always exist.
Beyond the areas with less access to communication, during the 180-day registration period, Professionals who do not have electronic prescription books will be able to prepare paper prescriptions and with them people will obtain their medications in a pharmacy as before. But once all platforms are registered, this modality will remain as a condition exceptional in areas with difficult access or without connectivity.
The pharmacies they will continue to accept prescriptions according to the schedule established in the ReNaPDiS. This includes both the paper prescriptions such as those issued through enabled platforms or in the process of adaptation. During the adhesion and registration stage, the electronic prescription supports that currently operate They can continue prescribing with their modality while they complete the procedure in the registry. Once registered, each recipe will have a unique code that will allow its authenticity to be verified throughout the country. This identifier guarantees the transparency in dispensing both for patients and for other actors involved.
Regarding the quality of the data, the Ministry reported that the registry of health professionals registered in the Argentine Integrated Health Information System (SISA). Additionally, a bulk upload procedure has been implemented for jurisdictions to keep the information on registered and qualified professionals to practice, which will allow them to validate the prescription of electronic prescriptions.
The official consulted added that there are electronic platforms payment and others free to which doctors, social works, prepaid or other providers may join.
As of the publication of the provision, it will be available in the official website of the Ministry the instructions for professionals and pharmacies, where they can find all the detailed information on the implementation of the electronic prescription and the registration processes.
The Ministry reported that it has been working with the teams of the jurisdictionsthe schools and cameras of the health sector, PAMI and the Superintendency of Health Services. He recalled, in that sense, that the social work for retirees and pensioners, several social and prepaid works are already implementing electronic prescription modalities.
The implementation of the electronic prescription will require the cooperation and adaptation of the 24 jurisdictions to secure an application uniform and effective. According to decree No. 345/2024, local authorities should promote additional legislation when necessary to align its professional practice laws and sanctioning provisions with new national standards.
This collaboration between levels of government is crucial to overcome the regional disparities in terms of infrastructure and technological capacity and thus guarantee that all health professionals and medical centers can adopt the new regulations without significant difficulties.
Local jurisdictions will also play a key role in supervision and regulation of the use of electronic prescriptions within their territories. This includes the training of health professionals in the use of new digital platforms and the guarantee that pharmacies comply with the requirements for secure storage of digital prescriptions for the stipulated period of three years.
- Allow greater readability and avoid errors in prescription
- Avoid adulteration of recipes
- Improve the quality in the provision of health services to citizens with a more efficient and safe system
- Facilitate the identification of professionals who prescribe medications
- Create a national drug dictionary
- Enable effective monitoring of patient treatment
- Enable traceability and simplify the prescription and delivery circuit
