nuBridges || CSOS

Suppliers and buyers of certain controlled substances in the pharmaceutical supply chain in the United States are subject to the Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA’s) requirement to file Form 222. The good news is that you can cut time and cost out of compliance with nuBridges CSOS – a software solution that provides paperless, electronic processing of Form 222.

nuBridges CSOS includes server software installed at the supplier’s site that can be accessed by buyer endpoints (typically pharmacies) to support DEA-compliant electronic ordering of controlled substances.

Certified by The Drummond Group, nuBridges CSOS creates an electronic equivalent of the DEA paper Form 222 (e222) and provides all the security, workflow, auditing, and reporting needed for DEA-compliant CSOS transactions, plus easy integration with existing order processing and EDI environments.

nuBridges CSOS was one of the industry's first software applications to be certified according to DEA's strict requirements. With nuBridges CSOS, messages are encrypted to ensure that only authorized recipients can access their content and digital signatures assure identity. Audit trails account for all stock received, distributed, or disposed of.

That’s why customers such as Kinray, Purdue Pharma, H.D. Smith, and KV Pharmaceutical rely on nuBridges CSOS to simplify and speed their controlled substance ordering and regulatory compliance.

Electronic Ordering Benefits:

Following a 3 year pilot, the DEA’s new electronic system was launched in 2005. As of April 2007, the DEA reported that 33,000 digital certificates had been issued to over 12,000 registered entities, and over 2.2 million transactions had been processed electronically via approved software products such as nuBridges CSOS. (Timeframe: Approximately 15 months ended April 2007.)

The time savings alone are staggering - even using a conservative estimate of 10 minutes per form per participant in the supply chain, that translates to 1.1 million person hours saved! But there are other important benefits:

Most importantly, electronic orders can be received by a supplier almost instantly, and shipped the same day – speeding medication to the people who need it
A single electronic order can include a mixture of Schedule I, II, III, IV and V controlled substances
A single electronic order can also include non-controlled substances, so you don’t have to place multiple orders with a supplier
Electronic orders don’t have the 10-item limit that the paper form imposed
No more filing cabinets storing 2 years of controlled substance orders – records can be maintained electronically
Unlike the rules for paper forms, electronic orders don’t need to be segregated from other records
No need to continually re-order paper forms from the DEA

Contact nuBridges to learn more – we’d be delighted to answer your questions and show you the capabilities of nuBridges CSOS.