Prescription & Pharmacy Support Guide for Psychiatric Providers

If you are experiencing issues with prescription delivery, pharmacy selection, or medication transmission status, this guide walks you through troubleshooting and when to contact Support.

This article covers:

• How to verify a patient’s pharmacy
• How to add or update a pharmacy in DrFirst
• How to check prescription status
• What different prescription statuses mean
• When and how Rula Support can help

Overview: How Prescriptions Are Sent

Rula uses DrFirst (Rcopia) to electronically transmit prescriptions to pharmacies.

When you sign and send a prescription:

• The prescription is transmitted electronically through DrFirst.
• The pharmacy receives it (if capable).
• The delivery outcome is logged in your Prescription Summary.

For controlled substances, both:

• You must be EPCS-enabled
• The pharmacy must support EPCS

Step 1: Verify the Patient’s Pharmacy

Before troubleshooting transmission issues, confirm the pharmacy on file is correct.

How to verify the pharmacy:

1. Open the patient’s chart in the Rula Provider Portal
2. Click Manage Medications (this opens DrFirst)
3. Confirm the pharmacy listed matches your intent
4. Hover over the pharmacy name to confirm:
   • Pharmacy name
   • Full address
   • Phone number

You must ensure:

• The address matches the Google street address exactly
• You selected the correct pharmacy location (many chains have multiple nearby locations)

Step 2: Add or Edit a Pharmacy in DrFirst

Pharmacy information does not automatically transfer from AdvancedMD. You must manually add preferred pharmacies within the Rula provider portal.

To add or update a pharmacy:

1. Open the patient’s chart
2. Click Manage Medications
3. Click the magnifying glass icon next to Pharmacy
4. Choose a list:
   • Practice List
   • Favorites
   • All Lists
5. Enter search criteria
6. Click Search
7. Select the correct pharmacy
8. Save

Confirm Pharmacy Capabilities

Before sending a prescription, verify the pharmacy supports:

• (E) – Accepts electronic prescriptions
• (C) – Accepts electronic controlled substances (EPCS)
• (R) – Retail pharmacy

For controlled medications, the pharmacy must support EPCS (C).

If you are unsure about capabilities, contact the pharmacy directly.

Step 3: Check Prescription Status in DrFirst

If a pharmacy says they did not receive a prescription, check the Prescription Summary.

To review Prescription Status:

1. Open the patient’s chart in DrFirst
2. Select the correct state (top right dropdown)
3. Search for the patient
4. Open Prescription Summary
5. Filter by:
   • Drug Type
   • Status
   • Date Range

Understanding Prescription Statuses

• Sent: Transmission attempt was initiated
• Delivered: Successfully transmitted to pharmacy
• Verified: Pharmacy acknowledged receipt
• Rejected: The Pharmacy declined the prescription
• Failed / Undeliverable: Transmission did not complete successfully

If the Pharmacy Says They Didn’t Receive It

If Prescription Summary shows Delivered, but the pharmacy reports they did not receive it:

1. Confirm the pharmacy name and address again
2. Call the pharmacy and request:
   • Confirmation of whether the prescription is in their system
   • The rejection reason (if any)
   • Whether it is pending or in the queue

If you continue to encounter issues when sending prescriptions, attempt the following:

• Attempt to send the prescription to a different pharmacy.
• Order Mail-Order, if available.

If delivery logs show “Delivered” and the pharmacy still cannot locate it, contact Rula Support.

Common Pharmacy Rejection Reasons

• Missing or incorrect insurance information
• Prior authorization requirements
• Controlled substance restrictions
• EPCS mismatch
• Incorrect pharmacy selection
• Clarification needed from the prescriber

If prior authorization is required, you must submit the PA through the appropriate payer channel.

Controlled Substance Troubleshooting (EPCS)

Confirm:

• You are EPCS-enabled
• Your identity token is active
• The pharmacy supports EPCS (C)
• The pharmacy address matches exactly
• If the prescription fails across multiple pharmacies, contact Support.

Other Resources

• Adding and editing pharmacy information in DrFirst
• Adding medications for a patient to DrFirst
• Canceling and stopping medications in DrFirst
• Completing a prior authorization through DrFirst

Updated April 08, 2026 15:58