Emergency Response Action Plans

Surescripts is always working to ensure our pharmacy and provider directories are updated with current information regarding pharmacy and provider office closures. This information is available to providers and pharmacists who need to treat patients in areas impacted by an emergency or natural disaster. Pharmacy vendors/pharmacy systems and EHR/health technology vendors/health systems are encouraged to take the following necessary steps:

Pharmacy Vendors / Pharmacy Systems:

• Update pharmacy records, as needed, each day by 7:00 PM ET for inclusion in the Pharmacy download retrieved by providers applications.
• All changes can be made using the Directory Manager. It can found at https://sso.surescripts.net/account/login or by using the link in Admin Console. (Directories menu > Directory Manager). You can also send the list to Surescripts Customer Support (support@surescripts.com) via a Support case.
• There are three response options to consider using for your impacted pharmacies:
  
  

  Response Options	Purpose	Actions to Take
  1. Pharmacy operations have been impacted, but it is still processing prescriptions.	Inform prescribers of a change from business as usual.	Append the end of your Store Name with information: e.g., “Hours Changed”, “Drive-up only” (35-character limit for store name for pharmacies on legacy directory versions). Change “Operating Status” from ‘Normal’ to ‘Informational’ with an accompanying note (70-character limit.) Update “Hours of Operation” as needed
  2. Pharmacy is no longer filling prescriptions and the pharmacy will send rejections.	Enable pharmacy to customize the response and maintain awareness of transactions, with minimal impact on prescriber workflows.	Append your Store Name with either: “Closed”, “Temporarily Closed”, “Permanently Closed” at the end of your store name (35-character limit for store name for pharmacies on legacy directory versions). Change Operating Status” from ‘Normal’ to ‘Alert’ with an accompanying note (70-character limit.) Update “Hours of Operation” as needed
  3. Pharmacy is no longer processing prescriptions and Surescripts should reject transactions.	Remove the record from prescriber visibility and require the prescriber’s system to receive an updated directory file in order for the pharmacy record to be visible again.	Remove Service Levels Set End Date to the current day Store Name may be modified; however, most prescribing applications will remove the record from display Change Operating Status” from ‘Normal’ to ‘Alert’ with an accompanying note (70-character limit.) Update “Hours of Operation” as needed

• Please ensure your pharmacists are aware that electronic responses to Refill Renewal Requests may be delayed while providers are offline or displaced.
• Ensure that your own website(s) are up to date, so patients/providers have access to current location information when seeking treatment.
  
   

EHRs / Health Technology Vendors / Health Systems:

• Ensure the Pharmacy Export file is downloaded each day by 7:00 AM ET and made available promptly to prescribers.
• Inform your providers of the following potential impacts:
  • Prescribers will receive an Error message from Surescripts when attempting to send a NewRx to a pharmacy that has been taken offline and subsequently removed from the Directory.
  • If a pharmacy is sending rejection responses, the “Store Name” may be updated as, “Closed”, “Temporarily Closed”, or “Permanently Closed” in the Directory. Prescribers should select an alternative pharmacy.
• If a provider is offline:
  • To avoid patient care delays, it is preferred that the provider organization have a process for responding to prescription requests (e.g., Refill Renewal Requests, Change Requests) for the individual while they are unavailable.
  • If a coverage/triage option isn’t available, please disable the providers record for prescription transactions (e.g., Refill Renewal Requests, and Change Requests). It is best to disable via the E-Prescribing application to keep synchronized with the Directories.  Otherwise, you can disable the location in Directory Manager (https://sso.surescripts.net/account/login) or Admin Console (Directories menu > Directory Manager”) by doing the following:
    • Remove Service Levels
    • Set End Date to the current day
  • Review the Automated Directory Management (ADM) Reports to identify providers that have not been responsive to requests. The report is posted each month in Admin Console (Support > Report Log, “ADMMonthlyACCOUNT”). We recommend outreach is done to these providers to improve responsiveness or remove the Change and/or Refill Service levels. All electronic refill renewal requests should receive a response
• Consider implementing support for Directories “Pharmacy Finder” to obtain current hours of operation, operating status, and status notes. Reach out to your account manager for additional information.