E-Prescribing Documentation

build and support e‑prescribing transactions the e prescribing companion guide provides detailed technical guidance for implementing and supporting e prescribing transactions on the surescripts network use this guide when building, certifying, integrating, or troubleshooting e prescribing solutions this guide supplements the ncpdp script standard by documenting surescripts specific requirements, application certification requirements (acrs), and implementation best practices note this is early adopter documentation information is subject to change section descriptions & links use the section descriptions below to understand how the guide is organized and where to find what you need product overview docid\ gbrepzd7mqfnxlfq9uflh overview of e‑prescribing capabilities, message types, and reference documentation integration & production docid\ kcbky6vq3n8ayeackfccv overview of integration, certification, and production processes general requirements docid\ ksemmwldjd0i9jict7jtp understand rules and expectations that apply across all e‑prescribing message types messages overview docid 6 dl1dra idzoom bpfam message flow, structure, and best practices element details docid\ t j0gupe16bjjbyq3fnbg data element definitions, conditions, and business rules element usage docid rnlu6nco0ayuditfpqn how elements are used in workflows, including usage patterns and data quality guidance application certification requirements (acr) summary docid 2jp7adrggeoc4yxkyfkiw summary of all application certification requirements referenced throughout the guide message examples docid\ fyqqziyzwnlglsk7vv406 sample message format demonstrating structure, required elements, and expected usage alternate rxchange workflows for prior authorization docid\ l3s6vkubx5ercsnnjmpgf rxchange workflows for prior authorization, including alternate routing scenarios error guidance docid\ pfx40swr9o9vdpjvja qp error codes, troubleshooting guidance, and best practices to resolve common issues message continuity docid\ vjllerlgfsbvuos p51ta message continuity services, including retry, queuing, and fax failover disclaimers docid\ e c3 4r4 cepwr7w p5n legal disclaimers covering guide usage, examples, and intellectual property key sections by role for developers build and code the message integration formats, elements, validation, and examples message format docid\ ksemmwldjd0i9jict7jtp & general message requirements docid\ ksemmwldjd0i9jict7jtp start with the structural rules that every message must follow utc time format docid\ kcbky6vq3n8ayeackfccv , character set docid\ kcbky6vq3n8ayeackfccv , & numeric representation docid\ kcbky6vq3n8ayeackfccv encoding and data format rules your code must enforce communication rules docid\ kcbky6vq3n8ayeackfccv & timeouts docid\ kcbky6vq3n8ayeackfccv transport behavior, retries, and timeout handling message validation docid\ ksemmwldjd0i9jict7jtp (including epcs & state specific) validation logic to implement before sending/accepting messages e prescribing message flows docid\ cad byinqbmdczn2jgvks & pharmacy workflows docid\ pzbfqo60md e6amyqiqdo how messages move so you model the right request/response chains per message requirements docid 6 dl1dra idzoom bpfam (newrx, rxrenewal, rxchange, cancelrx, rxtransfer, acknowledgement messages, etc ) the transaction by transaction requirements you will code against element details docid\ t j0gupe16bjjbyq3fnbg (messageheader, prescriber, medication, patient, etc ) field level definitions and the requirements designation key element usage docid rnlu6nco0ayuditfpqn (drug description, sig, ndc, quantity, diagnosis, etc ) how to correctly populate the tricky high impact fields newrx message example docid\ fyqqziyzwnlglsk7vv406 a reference example for confirming message accuracy and compliance error guidance docid\ pfx40swr9o9vdpjvja qp (script, schema & directory errors) diagnose and prevent the errors you will hit during integration message continuity docid\ vjllerlgfsbvuos p51ta (http retry, queue, fax services) resilience patterns for outages and message delivery for implementers plan onboarding, connectivity, go live, directory setup, and outage continuity integration process docid\ kcbky6vq3n8ayeackfccv start here to learn more about integrating on the surescripts network transition to production docid\ kcbky6vq3n8ayeackfccv steps and gates to move from testing to live traffic terminology docid\ kcbky6vq3n8ayeackfccv , communication rules docid\ kcbky6vq3n8ayeackfccv , & timeouts docid\ kcbky6vq3n8ayeackfccv steps and gates to move from testing to live traffic e prescribing message flows docid\ cad byinqbmdczn2jgvks which message types your deployment must support and route directory information docid\ ksemmwldjd0i9jict7jtp directory dependencies for routing prescribers and pharmacies prescriber & pharmacy information surescripts directory docid\ pce7y gykox0wzhsbvgkv how directory data feeds correct addressing/spi setup state specific identifiers for epcs docid\ dykrs3s2mvrvwswsgy ux jurisdiction specific setup for controlled substances faxing docid\ qcqrnav afdjgysemegcz & faxable error messages docid\ qcqrnav afdjgysemegcz fallback delivery to plan for in the deployment message continuity docid\ vjllerlgfsbvuos p51ta — services, queue & workbench outage handling, message queue, and workbench access/setup directory errors docid\ pfx40swr9o9vdpjvja qp & frequent receiver validation errors docid\ pfx40swr9o9vdpjvja qp common routing/directory failures to resolve during rollout for certification teams compliance docid\ kcbky6vq3n8ayeackfccv sets the compliance bar the certification effort confirms requirements designation docid\ jvtrm0r qlwfmacyblc l how to read mandatory, conditional, and business rule designations when scoring conformance application certification requirements (acr) summary docid 2jp7adrggeoc4yxkyfkiw list of all application certification requirements referenced throughout the guide display requirements tables docid\ d0acav njcersruwnrvo1 (by message type) fields to display for each message display requirements docid\ ksemmwldjd0i9jict7jtp & best practices docid\ ksemmwldjd0i9jict7jtp background detail behind the display requirements tables numeric representation docid\ kcbky6vq3n8ayeackfccv , message format docid\ ksemmwldjd0i9jict7jtp , & general message requirements docid\ ksemmwldjd0i9jict7jtp format level conformance items to validate message validation docid\ ksemmwldjd0i9jict7jtp (including epcs & state specific) validation behaviors to test, including controlled substance rules acknowledgement messages docid\ xgplk6zd1l7x8nxymqrlr & error codes docid\ xgplk6zd1l7x8nxymqrlr confirm correct status/verify/error handling and 900 error behavior newrx message example docid\ fyqqziyzwnlglsk7vv406 reference example to compare candidate output during testing for business analysts about electronic prescribing docid\ gbrepzd7mqfnxlfq9uflh & epcs docid\ gbrepzd7mqfnxlfq9uflh foundational context on e prescribing and controlled substances about this guide docid\ gbrepzd7mqfnxlfq9uflh , disclaimers docid\ e c3 4r4 cepwr7w p5n , & document references docid\ gbrepzd7mqfnxlfq9uflh scope, how to read the guide, and related source documents e prescribing best practices docid\ ksemmwldjd0i9jict7jtp cross cutting practices that shape requirements and stories e prescribing message flows docid\ cad byinqbmdczn2jgvks & pharmacy workflows docid\ pzbfqo60md e6amyqiqdo the big picture process map for requirements analysis messages overview docid 6 dl1dra idzoom bpfam what each message does and the recommended behaviors acknowledgements message workflow scenarios docid\ xgplk6zd1l7x8nxymqrlr how acks/errors play out across realistic scenarios element usage docid rnlu6nco0ayuditfpqn (drug description, sig, ndc, quantity, diagnosis, etc ) data quality expectations that drive acceptance criteria alternate rxchange workflows for prior authorization docid\ l3s6vkubx5ercsnnjmpgf workflow variants to capture in pa related requirements error guidance docid\ pfx40swr9o9vdpjvja qp business rules that reduce errors and rework access onboarding and developer tools if you’re looking for onboarding resources, developer tools, or related e prescribing products , start with the e prescribing home page docid\ yqcrwms35sxnbvwhnvk s get started with prerequisites, onboarding guidance, and connectivity setup access implementation tools like workbench, message tester, and certification tester find upgrade guidance, documentation links, and support resources