Allina adds extra security for controlled substance prescriptions

[KSTP TV, October 27, 2017] Allina Health is among the first healthcare providers in the Twin Cities to meet federal requirements for having two layers of security for practitioners sending electronic prescriptions for controlled substances to pharmacies.

"We're making sure the prescriptions go there without any potential for forgeries of those prescriptions," Lee Mork said, who is one of Allina Health's pharmacy directors. "It goes so far as to your codeine cough syrup, a valium prescription or attention deficit medications like Adderall, for example."

Doctors and nurses have unique passwords they memorize to log into Allina's electronic medical records system. But, in order to send electronic prescriptions for controlled substances, they now also have to enter another constantly changing number from a small device they carry with them called a token.