DEA Approves Drummond Group as a Third-Party EPCS Certifier
<0> Drummond Group Inc.Olga Finneran, 512-354-5529 </0>
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has recently approved and officially listed , a leader in global software testing, on the Electronic Prescriptions for Controlled Substances () “Approved Certification Process” list. Drummond Group will officially serve as a neutral, third-party auditor of EPCS applications (including RxHub’s) used to process EPCS by practitioners, hospitals and pharmacies. Coupled with Drummond Group’s Controlled Substances Ordering Systems () auditing and the firm’s testing and certification work in electronic health records (), these programs form a robust and synergistic healthcare support service. This currently makes Drummond Group the only third-party certifier of three major U.S. healthcare initiatives: EPCS, CSOS and EHR. Drummond Group’s EPCS Certification Program will launch in September.
The DEA requires that before any EPCS application may be used for electronic prescriptions for controlled substances, they must be reviewed, tested and determined by a third party to meet all of the requirements of the DEA’s EPCS Interim Final Rule - 21 CFR Part 1311. See .
“Expanding our work with the DEA and the pharmaceutical industry helps deliver cost-effective software auditing and end-user site security assessment services for EPCS,” said Rik Drummond, CEO of Drummond Group. “Having provided CSOS audit services since 2005 and tested hundreds of EHR applications, we feel our deep experience and industry collaboration supports healthcare’s move toward digital technology to become more innovative, productive and secure.”
As a certification body and test lab, Drummond Group’s experience and expertise in global testing services are utilized by numerous industries. In healthcare, the firm is currently designated as an Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ATCB) under the temporary program within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT () and has certified more than 700 EHR software applications to date, including a large percentage of systems that include ePrescribing. Drummond Group is currently seeking accreditation as an Authorized Certification Body (ACB) and an Authorized Testing Body (ATB) through the ONC-Approved Accreditors (ONC-AA) within the permanent program.
For additional information on DEA’s EPCS requirements, please visit: .
For additional information about Drummond Group’s EPCS program and to pre-enroll, please visit: .
Founded in 1999, Drummond Group Inc. (DGI) is a leader in innovative, global software testing and acts as a catalyst to advance and tie together technologies, standards, security and interoperability in vertical industries – smart grid, automotive, health care, financial services, government, petroleum, pharmaceutical and retail. As a trusted, experienced and accredited interoperability test lab, the firm offers global test services through the product life cycle, including auditing, quality assurance, conformance and test consulting. In health IT, Drummond Group works closely with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to help drive e-commerce initiatives for Controlled Substances Ordering Systems (CSOS) and Electronic Prescriptions of Controlled Substances (EPCS). As an Office of the National Coordinator Authorized Testing and Certification Body (), Drummond Group provides electronic health records (EHR) testing in collaboration with healthcare software vendors and hospitals to certify EHRs. Drummond Group is currently seeking accreditation within the permanent program as an Authorized Certification Body (ACB) and an Authorized Testing Body (ATB) through the ONC-Approved Accreditors (ONC-AA) and is the only third-party certifier of all three U.S. healthcare initiatives: CSOS, EHR and EPCS. For more information, please visit or email .