Blue Link ERP’s CSOS DEA certified functionality is an optional component integrated with Blue Link’s B2B Ordering Platform and accounting and inventory management software. Perfect for wholesale and distribution pharmaceutical businesses, Blue Link is a complete end-to-end ERP system designed to manage all aspects of a company’s operations. Blue Link provides functionality to aid in FDA/ISO/DEA compliance and other industry regulations including DSCSA compliance. Blue Link’s Pharmaceutical ERP with Controlled Substance Ordering System provides the means for pharmaceutical distributors to receive sales orders including Schedule II controlled substances through a DEA certified electronic ordering CSOS component. Certified as of March 28, 2017.
CSOS allows distributors, pharmacies and manufacturers to transmit Schedule II (CII) orders electronically. This DEA approved legal process is based on regulations that allow CII items to be ordered electronically, assuming certain criteria have been met.
CSOS is built into Blue Link’s B2B Ordering Platform for distribution businesses, in order to allow pharmacies and other customers to place orders online for Schedule II drugs.
“With the help of Blue Link CSOS we saw a 42.5% increase in sales to $1.425M from April 2017 to May 2017”
Russel Patterson, Independent Pharmacy Distributor
The inception of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) dates back to the 1970’s, and ever since, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has continued to regulate the method through which Schedule II controlled substances can be purchased. The information included in the act dictates that for a company to place an order for Schedule II controlled substances with their trading partners, the following criteria must be met:
For trading partners supplying C2 products, the following criteria must be met:
Historically, the process for completing and submitting a DEA 222 Form has been manual and involves filling out a pre-printed form by hand, and then mailing or couriering the form to the supplier. It is estimated that this process takes between 1-3 days when using a courier, and even longer if the form is being sent via regular mail. The idea is that this process allows the DEA to monitor the movement of C2 products, however the time to process an order and the associated costs are quite excessive.
In the early 2000’s, the DEA approved a method to allow companies to issue Schedule II controlled substance orders electronically without the need to physically mail the 222 Form. This led suppliers to acquire 3rd party software systems for use by their customers that allowed for this process – also known as Controlled Substance Ordering Systems (CSOS).
Due to the security measures enforced by the DEA and CSOS certification, software vendors must CSOS DEA certified before they can provide true CSOS functionality.
The Blue Link ERP Controlled Substance Ordering System is an exciting innovation for pharmaceutical distributors. For the first time, pharmaceutical distributors get DEA certified CSOS functionality as part of an all-in-one ERP solution. This gives them a competitive edge by allowing them to serve their customers quicker and more efficiently.
Although the benefits of CSOS are clear, it does not necessarily make sense for every business dealing with Schedule II controlled substances to implement a solution with CSOS functionality. The amount of time and money spent on mailing and couriering DEA 222 Forms will vary depending on a company’s order volume.
For those businesses with a high volume of orders for C2 products, CSOS provides an opportunity for pharmaceutical suppliers to offer their customers an easy electronic method for submitting the necessary information as a value-added service that will save these customers time and money.
If a customer is only placing a small number of orders for Schedule II controlled substances, or the need for fast turnaround of the order is not important, the manual processes involved are often sufficient.
To better determine if your wholesale distribution business can benefit from CSOS functionality, consider the following:
As an HDA member, Blue Link ERP has access to networking opportunities, research, member-developed education and resources for the healthcare supply chain. This aids Blue Link in closely monitoring the progression of DSCSA requirements and other industry regulations to stay ahead of changes and updates.
Blue Link ERP provides integrated Accounting Software and Inventory Management Software to small and medium sized businesses, primarily wholesalers & distributors. READ MORE
