The point of the established processes is that the prescription issue event (together with the corresponding prescription content) is entered into the database stored in the EESZT (National eHealth Infrastructure), where the dispenser can use his or her pharmacy software to query a patient’s valid prescriptions and report to the module the dispensed preparation after dispensing.
The ePrescription system does not cover the full range of prescription products, as of 1 November 2017, it handles prescription drugs and subsidised prescription drugs covered by social security insurance.
As of mid-2020, some mass-produced medical appliances and equipment has been included in the prescriptible range of products. The range of appliances will be further expanded in 2021, but in the case of some products, such as breastmilk, thermal bath treatments, optics and dental technology instruments, electronic prescriptions remain to be unavailable.
Order medical appliances and equipment online: https://e-egeszsegugy.gov.hu/web/eeszt-information-portal/medical-devices-via-electronic-prescriptions
Regulating the entry, modification and availability of data in the EESZT is one of the most important tasks. The therapist and the pharmacist or pharmaceutical assistant have access to the data stored in the system, subject to data protection considerations (legal requirements and self-determination rules specified by a patient). The module records all events (prescriptions, reservations, redemptions and their logical deletion, as well as queries) in the access log, which the patient concerned can query on the Citizen Portal (eeszt.gov.hu).
To connect to the Infrastructure, the prescriber’s (general practitioner's, specialist clinic’s, hospital’s, etc.) and pharmacy’s information systems must also have a web service interface.
The system provides the following services to a therapist:
- issuing prescriptions;
- issuing recurring prescriptions (prescribing 3 months of medicine on 3 prescriptions);
- withdrawal of a prescription;
- querying a summary list of prescriptions on an SSN basis;
- querying specific prescriptions.
The system provides the following services to a pharmacist:
- Reading the SSN from the patient’s electronic ID card
- querying of prescriptions by SSN
- pharmacy recording of paper-based prescriptions;
- withdrawal of a prescription recorded at the same pharmacy;
- querying of a specific prescription;
- reserving a prescription;
- releasing a prescription reserved at the same pharmacy;
- issuing of a prescription;
- withdrawal of a prescription issued at the same pharmacy
- self-check function
- manual pharmacy related functions.
When querying prescriptions, the dispensing pharmacy assistant can only access active prescriptions, while pharmacists can access all prescriptions dispensed by the pharmacy. Physicians may, in the manner defined by law, also see the medication of patients they are treating, as defined by law, filtered according to the rules set out in the self-determination.
The module carries out the following verifications:
- Authorisation verification: only physicians, pharmacists and drug dispensing assistants can access the ePrescription module from among the employees in the sector.
- Formal verification: the ePrescription module only accepts documents in the correct format.
- Content verification: the ePrescription module only accepts documents that comply with the relevant public code bases and records.
- Legal verification: checking of special criteria specified by law (e.g. in the case of a preparation worth more than 50 thousand Hungarian forints only a maximum of one monthly dose can be written per prescription).
- Financial verification (only in the future): In the case of a prescription covered by social security, the ePrescription module will request the prescription verification service delegated by the National Health Insurance Fund of Hungary and will only accept the appropriate prescription, ensuring that there is no settlement dispute during redemption.
Prescription and redemption of prescriptions in the future:
An important aspect of the introduction of the e-health system was that there would be no disruptions in the processes currently in effect, so that prescriptions can still be issued on paper and hand-written prescriptions continue to be valid. “Pro familia” prescriptions will invariably be issued on paper. Upon redemption, paper-based prescriptions issued with SSN are entered into the EESZT at the pharmacy and become searchable, similar to prescriptions originally issued electronically.
Updated: 12.11.2020