AYTON, Ohio - November 1, 2007 - Standard Register, a leading manufacturer of tamper-resistant prescription forms is leveraging its decades of security and clinical workflow experience to assist states and medical communities in establishing a comprehensive defense against prescription fraud and drug diversion.
Already recognized for its aggressive state programs in successfully combating prescription fraud, Standard Register is currently working with state pharmacy boards and medical associations to aid the medical community in meeting the upcoming requirements issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for tamper-resistant prescription pads.
With multiple security technologies integrated into its proprietary ScripPlus  prescription pads, the company has a ready-made solution that meets requirements for both phases of CMS tamper-resistant guidelines. It combines heat-sensitive inks, micro-printing and unique background patterns, artificial watermarks, chemical-sensitive coatings, warning bands and consecutive numbers to create a script pad that is highly effective in deterring criminals from modifying, copying and counterfeiting prescriptions.
However, anyone committed to establishing a comprehensive defense against fraud needs to go beyond the guidelines set by the CMS, according to Dan Thaxton, a nationally recognized expert on fraud and manager of document security solutions for Standard Register.
"CMS guidelines are a step in the right direction, but a small one," Thaxton said. "With the requirement to have only one industry-recognized security feature integrated into the prescription to prevent copying, modification or counterfeiting, it will be very easy for prescribers to comply with the April 1, 2008 deadline. However, having a single security feature on a prescription is not going to be an effective deterrent against fraud. Even the October 1, 2008 requirement to have three industry-recognized security features integrated into prescription pads is a minimal approach," he asserted.
"Criminals are always looking for your vulnerabilities and the current CMS minimums leave many, particularly in preventing theft and false issuance," said Jay Frerichs, manager of Standard Register' s secure prescription program. "That means looking beyond the script pad, itself, and addressing the processes for ordering and handling the prescription pads within a hospital or physician practice as well as across the entire supply chain," Frerichs said.
Both Frerichs and Thaxton have counseled and worked with federal and state government agencies on prescription fraud and document security issues. Their knowledge and insights have been combined in a white paper, "Establishing a Tamper-Resistant Prescription Program." The eight-page document was published to give prescribing physicians and hospitals a better understanding of recent changes in the law and the nature of fraud, and to outline a course for building an effective defense against prescription fraud, which costs the healthcare system $5 billion annually. The white paper can be downloaded from Standard Register' s Web site for ordering secure prescription pads: www.securescrip.com.