NCPDP SCRIPT Version 2017071 ePrescribing Testing Tool Now Available

Scottsdale, AZ – September 13, 2018 – NCPDP announced today that its NCPDP eRx Validation Suite is now available to test and ensure correct implementation of the NCPDP SCRIPT Standard Version 2017071 ahead of the January 1, 2020, implementation timeline. NCPDP’s SCRIPT Version 2017071 includes important functionality and transactions identified by the industry as vital enhancements in improving patient safety, clinical decision-making, and business and administrative efficiencies for all stakeholders – and for the ultimate benefit of patients and healthcare providers.

Among the enhancements in SCRIPT v2017071 are:

•  Support for the electronic transmission of compound information, including ingredients and their quantities.
• Support for both veterinarian and non-veterinarian prescribers.
• Support for the reporting of allergies and adverse events.
• Support for the sending of laboratory testing dates and values.
• Directions for use now allow 1,000 characters and are included in the Sig element of SigText.
• Support for the inclusion of IV administration information, wound care information, and MTM services for specialty.
• Support for grouping of multiple prescriptions allowing for items like multiple dispensing and administration locations (such as school and home), injectable or IV medication, and associated supplies.
• Support for including diabetic supply information on a new prescription.
• Support for the sending of facility specific hours of administration for long-term care medication orders.
• Prescribers can choose when and if they want to receive the RxFill notification message based on the medication and the patient.
• The medication history response transaction has been enhanced to return data from Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) administrators.
• Enhancements to digital signatures, as required for the electronic prescribing of controlled substance medications.
• Support for flavoring and the number of packages in which the medication is dispensed.
• Support for the manufacturer name, lot number and expiration date of the product.

SCRIPT Version 2017071 also contains electronic prior authorization (ePA) transactions, as well as transactions for new prescription requests, transfers, and Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) request and response.


“NCPDP’s SCRIPT Standard supports a tremendous breadth of functionality to improve administrative efficiencies and patient care,” said Lee Ann Stember, President and CEO of NCPDP. “Implemented fully, SCRIPT gives providers actionable clinical data, within their existing workflows, for better informed clinical decision-making for the ultimate benefit of patients.” 

Access the NCPDP eRx Validation Suite at: https://ncpdp.nist.gov/ncpdp-tool/#/home?d=2017.

NCPDP has planned educational programming to help EHR and ePrescribing system vendors and other health information technology professionals plan for and maximize functionality of SCRIPT v2017071 within their product enhancements and implementations.