E-Prescription Dispense Units to Change August 5

July 21, 2021 | 1 min. to read

Beginning Thursday, August 5, Northwestern Medicine will eliminate the use of generic quantity units for medication prescriptions, such as bottle, inhaler or tube, to comply in advance of prescription drug industry requirements that go into effect on September 1. All providers who e-prescribe medications will need to transition to the use of new units, such as milliliters or grams, or the prescriptions will fail to send.

Standardizing dosing units enhances prescription accuracy and improves patient safety. In NM Epic, outpatient dispense units will be adjusted to meet the new requirement.
 
Special note
Most defaults in system SmartSets and Preference Lists will not be updated by August 5. Providers will need to update their personalizations to populate fields with the correct units before signing an order. Refill orders that previously used a non-specific unit will also need to be updated.
 
Non-specific units of measure that will no longer be accepted include:

• Ampule

• Container

• Pre-filled pen syringe
• Applicator full
• Device

• Spray
• Bottle
• Metric drop

• Syringe
• Can
• Package

• Tube

 
Current state: E-prescription order

Future state: Orders on August 5
Prescribers will need to use the common size report when entering an order to determine the correct quantity and unit for dispensing a medication, as shown in the below example for albuterol.

​See the tip sheet for more information.