Physicians Ability to Prescribe Electronically Retained

In July, the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act of 2012 was passed by the U.S. House and Senate and then signed into law by President Obama. This legislation provides the FDA a means of funding the review of drugs and medical devices by collecting industry user fees and also helps improve the quality and safety of the drugs available to consumers, including protecting the drug supply chain and fighting against drug shortages.

Just as important as what the FDA Safety and Innovation Act includes is what is not included. Alliance for Affordable Services worked with various legislators, including Senators Cornyn (R-TX) and Feinstein (D-CA) and Chairman Upton (R-MI) of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, to ensure physicians could continue to electronically prescribe patients short-term, non-DEA-controlled medications via telephone and web-based video consultations without being subjected to adverse regulatory measures. Telehealth services provide a convenient and cost-effective alternative to a traditional doctor office visit and can be especially helpful when a patient cannot see their regular physician, such as after office hours or when the patient is out of town.

Alliance offers members access to one of the country’s leading telehealth service providers, Teladoc . This program is one of the association’s most popular membership benefits and Teladoc maintains high satisfaction rates with their clients, so Alliance advocated aggressively to retain this choice of health care delivery for its members.

The Alliance is dedicated to helping its members live better and save more. It leverages its strength in numbers to provide access to valuable benefits and services to meet the personal, professional and health care needs of members nationwide. Benefit availability is dependent on the package option chosen, the member’s place of residence and may be subject to change. If you are not currently a member and would like to gain access to these benefits, click here to Join or call member services at 800-733-2242 for more information.