Month: June 2016

As New York state shifts away from paper prescriptions, an Albany Medical Center physician said electronic prescribing, or “e-prescribing,” will lead to improved patient safety and a more efficient prescription process.

As of March 27, all prescriptions written in the state must be transmitted electronically from the prescriber directly to the pharmacy.

According to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the requirement is a key component of New York’s I-STOP initiative that is focused on helping curb the abuse of prescription medication throughout the state.

Prescriptions will no longer be handwritten or called into a pharmacy for all medications, including controlled substances, except in rare circumstances.

According to state officials, those limited situations include such things as disasters, and technological or electrical failures. In exceptional circumstances requiring written prescriptions, prescribers must still use official state prescription forms and document the reason for use of the paper script each time. Prescribers with waivers are exceptions to the e-prescribe mandate. Patients seeking the best prices for their medications can still comparison shop before asking their doctor to send their prescriptions to their preferred pharmacy.

According to Dr. Patricia Hale, associate medical director of informatics at Albany Medical Center, the benefits of e-prescribing include:

• Lower risk of errors due to poor handwriting.

Albany Medical Center melanoma specialist Dr. Hal Fletcher Starnes is urging Capital Region residents to know the risks, signs and symptoms of skin cancer as the summer season arrives and sun exposure is greatest.

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation of America, an estimated 76,380 new cases of invasive melanoma will be diagnosed in the U.S. this year. Some 10,000 of which will be fatal. It is the fifth most common cancer in men and the sixth most common in women.

“Every time you step outside without wearing appropriate clothing or sun block you are putting yourself at risk,” said Starnes, a surgical specialist with advanced training and experience diagnosing and treating skin cancer whose office is in Saratoga Springs.

He said there are three types of skin cancer. The first two are basal cell and squamous cell, which are less serious and are often found on the nose and cheek areas. The third type is melanoma, which can develop anywhere on the body usually 10-15 years after the initial sun damage occurred and can be deadly.

Wayne Morris, 70, of Greenwich, said it was discovered that he had melanoma approximately the size of a quarter on his scalp.

“I happened to be at my yearly physical when my physician first saw the lesion on my head. He sent me to Dr. Starnes who saw me immediately and diagnosed and removed what we now know was a very serious case of melanoma,” said Morris, who credits Starnes and the advanced technology used to make a quick diagnosis, which resulted in a positive outcome.