OrderConnect orders not being received by pharmacy

Owned by Daniel Smith
Last updated: Apr 15, 2019 by Jeffrey Stoddard
4 min read

Problem

Orders placed in OrderConnect are not being received by the pharmacy. There are few things that can cause this to happen: 

  1. An output type wasn't selected for the order (i.e. Print, Fax, eRx)
  2. The pharmacy isn't set up to receive prescriptions electronically
  3. The medication ordered was a Schedule II Medication and the Prescriber is not authorized to place the order electronically.


1. Solution - Selecting an Order Output

While orders might show in OrderConnect and have an order #, they are not truly complete until an output type is selected. The output type is selected on the order confirmation screen and is near the bottom of the summary of the order:

As shown in the screenshot, the default for the output is "None" and one of the output types must be selected. For most orders, you will be able to select "eRx" in order to transmit the order to the pharmacy. However, for other orders (i.e. controlled substances), this option may be grayed out and unavailable as those orders must go through the verbal order process – for those, you'd have to select "Fax."

2. Solution - Pharmacies Not Set Up to Receive eRx

Another cause of this issue could be that the pharmacy itself isn't set to receive orders electronically. Again, your cue would be the output selections -- the "eRx" selection will be grayed out for all prescriptions no matter the type. While you can still select the other output options, ideally you should be able to transmit electronically. All pharmacies used by the program should be set up by the time OrderConnect is implemented, but if the following has occurred:

#1 - You are attempting to select a pharmacy your facility has never used
  1. Contact the Help Desk via e-mail at HelpDesk@telecarecorp.com
  2. Provide the exact name of the pharmacy and their contact information (i.e. address, phone, fax)


#2 - A pharmacy you have used before undergoes some type of change

This could include the name of the pharmacy changing or the pharmacy being acquired by another company.

  1. Contact the pharmacy to verify if there have been any changes
    1. If so, contact the Help Desk via e-mail at HelpDesk@telecarecorp.com
    2. Provide the new name of the pharmacy and their contact information (i.e. address, phone, fax)
    3. If this is your main pharmacy, let us know so we can mark it as the preferred pharmacy
  2. If they say there have been no changes, simply e-mail the Help Desk and let us know the situation.

Please note that Avatar Support won't have any special awareness of changes in the pharmacies you use, so if you are aware of any impending changes like the ones described above, please contact Avatar Support via the Help Desk. 

Checking for Order Status

OrderConnect users can check whether their orders have successfully transmitted at any time via OrderConnect Reports. Those can be accessed one of two ways:

  • Via the "Launch OrderConnect Reports" button within the "Launch OrderConnect" form

  • Via the "Launch OrderConnect Reports" link in the client chart after selecting "Launch OrderConnect" from the left-hand side

Either method leads to the Prescriber's Desktop in OrderConnect, which will list reports available to you. Under the "Daily Operations" set of reports you will find the "Transmission Log" report. 

Click this link to launch the parameters selection screen where you can choose how you want to run the report (it will open in a new window). Please note that the following parameters should always be used to ensure the best results – example in the screenshot below:

  • Prescriber: choose yourself or staff from your facility
  • Sent Between: to keep the report concise, choose as narrow a date range as possible
  • Clinic: choose your own facility
  • Output Type: in most cases, you should choose "eRx"

Once you've selected your parameters, hit the "GO" button and the report will show the results of your query. You can check recent orders for status to see if the order was received by the pharmacy – however, do not hit the "Resend" button to the right unless the Status shows as failed.  


3. Solution - Prescriber NOT authorized to order Schedule II medications electronically

If the practitioner wish to place a electronic order (eRx), the prescriber must have completed the EPCS Token registration and authentication process.  Typically when a new prescriber is hired the EPCS token can be issued when Avatar and OrderConnect Accounts are requested.  Please see OrderConnect EPCS Registration for Prescribers for additional information.


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