Rakova appreciated the work of the electronic recipe service for four years

Since 2021, doctors in Moscow's polyclinics have issued more than 75 million prescriptions with a QR code, said Anastasia Rakova, Moscow's Deputy Mayor for Social Development.

"Starting in 2021, residents of Moscow can receive medicines using an electronic prescription by simply showing its QR code on a mobile device (...). This format has had a positive impact on both the work of doctors and the convenience of patients," said the deputy mayor. According to her, thanks to the service, it takes about 30 seconds for a doctor to issue an electronic prescription, instead of several minutes that it took to fill out a paper form.

"The risk of errors in prescribing medications is minimal. In addition, it does not need to be printed, it cannot be lost, forgotten or damaged, it is always at hand, in a smartphone," added Rakova.

According to the deputy mayor, the introduction of electronic prescriptions has increased security. The QR code of the prescription cannot be forged, and multiple purchases of the same drug in different pharmacies are excluded, said Rakova.

Electronic prescriptions with a QR code are issued by all polyclinics in Moscow. They act both to receive discounted medicines and to purchase medicines at full cost. In addition, prescriptions for medical devices have also become electronic this year. Information about the release of medicines is stored digitally in the EMIAS.

The possibility of electronic prescriptions in the Unified Medical Information and Analytical System (EMIAS) appeared in Moscow back in 2014. However, they had to be printed out on a letterhead, stamped and personally signed by the doctor. Since 2021, electronic prescriptions do not require printing a paper duplicate, are signed with the electronic signature of the doctor and have a unique QR code.