NCPDP SCRIPT
NCPDP SCRIPT is the national messaging standard US e-prescribing runs on — the structured formats that carry new prescriptions, renewals, changes, and cancellations between prescriber systems and pharmacies.
- The NCPDP-maintained standard behind US e-prescribing
- Defines NewRx, renewals, changes, cancellations, and status flows
- Surescripts is the dominant routing network
- EPCS rides the same standard with added security requirements
What the standard defines
SCRIPT defines transaction types for the full prescription lifecycle: NewRx (a new prescription), RxRenewalRequest and response (refill authorization), RxChangeRequest (the pharmacy proposes a substitution or fix), CancelRx (the prescriber voids a prescription), and status messages back from the pharmacy. Electronic prior authorization rides a companion standard. Certified networks — Surescripts is the dominant one — route these messages between systems.
Why an operator should care about a message format
Because the transaction types are the operational vocabulary of fulfillment. A refill flow is an RxRenewal exchange; a pharmacy switching a backordered dose form arrives as an RxChange; discontinuing therapy without CancelRx leaves a live prescription at the pharmacy — a real clinical-safety gap. Platforms abstract the standard behind APIs, but the lifecycle it defines is exactly the lifecycle your program logic and webhooks need to model.
Compliance handled, so you can build
Lithos runs the clinicians, pharmacies, and 50-state rules behind your care program — one API.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to implement SCRIPT myself?
No — certified eRx vendors and clinical platforms implement it. You interact with its lifecycle through their APIs.
What is CancelRx and why does it matter?
The message that voids a prescription at the pharmacy. Programs that stop therapy without it leave fillable prescriptions behind — a safety and compliance gap.
Is prior authorization part of SCRIPT?
Electronic prior authorization uses a companion NCPDP standard that travels the same rails, letting PA requests flow inside the prescribing workflow.