As part of our documentation quality improvement initiative, we promote practical ways for clinicians to provide clear and actionable communication supporting coordination of care.
Alberta Blue Cross (ABC) drug special authorization form(s) must be completed, submitted and approved in order for a patient to be eligible for health insurance coverage of a number of outpatient medications that may be supported by programs administered by ABC. For example, a number of medications are covered for Alberta seniors (aged 65+ years) if specific clinical criteria are met.
Historically, clinicians have had to obtain printed forms, transcribe information from the medical record, and then mail or fax handwritten responses to ABC. These requests are often rejected for lack of information... or legible information.
Alberta Health Services is collaborating with Alberta Blue Cross to digitize all ABC special authorization forms (150+). The first 40 forms, representing the most common drug authorization requests, are now supported by semi-automated workflows in Connect Care. Available demographic and clinical information is automatically pulled from the chart, and clinicians are provided with key support information for assessments that they must enter directly into the form.
As we continue to build up the ABC form repository within Connect Care, we invite prescribers (physicians, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, prescribing pharmacists) to start using the new ABC authorization workflow. For more information:
