Start with what your license lets you prescribe, because prescribing scope for naturopathic doctors varies by state and the board that licenses you is the source for it. If your license includes prescribing, your EHR needs e-prescribing inside the client chart, which Practice Better's e-prescribing guide recommends "to reduce double documentation and data entry errors." If it does not, the choice turns on supplement protocols, lab orders, charting, and billing.
Key takeaways
A naturopathic doctor needs e-prescribing software when their state license grants prescriptive authority and they plan to use it. Practice Better's ePrescribe FAQ states that only credentialed prescribing practitioners can send prescriptions.
Prescribing scope for naturopathic doctors varies by state, so confirm yours with the board that licenses you before you pay for an add-on. If you see clients in more than one state, you need a valid license in each state where you practice (source).
A naturopathic doctor needs Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances (EPCS) only when their state license allows controlled-substance prescribing and they plan to prescribe those drugs. Practice Better's ePrescribe supports controlled-substance workflows "if you have the proper credentials (e.g. EPCS)," per its ePrescribe FAQ.
EPCS pairs with a second add-on. The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) add-on lets you review what controlled substances a client has already been prescribed before you write a new one (DrFirst integration). Check controlled-substance authority with the board that licenses you before you enroll in either.
Look for e-prescribing that lives inside your chart, matches your state scope, and handles the per-state setup that comes with your license. Practice Better's guide to choosing e-prescribing software covers the general criteria, such as interaction alerts and prescription tracking. The table below covers the questions that follow from state licensing.
| Question for the vendor | Why it matters to a naturopathic doctor |
|---|---|
| Does e-prescribing run inside the client chart? | You avoid entering the same prescription twice (source) |
| Is EPCS available, and do you need it? | It only matters if your state license allows controlled-substance prescribing. Confirm with the board that licenses you |
| Is PDMP access integrated? | Practice Better's DrFirst page says some states require a physical practice address to qualify for integrated PDMP access (source). Ask this first if you run a telehealth-only practice |
| Are onboarding fees charged per state? | Practice Better's ePrescribe page lists PDMP's one-time $399 onboarding fee "per practice per state" (source) |
For the case for moving off paper scripts, see the benefits of e-prescribing for small private practices.
You send prescriptions electronically through e-prescribing software that creates the prescription and transmits it to your patient's chosen pharmacy (source). In Practice Better, you set up and use e-prescribing through the DrFirst integration, following the DrFirst integration page:
Practice Better e-prescribes for credentialed prescribers based in the U.S. Its ePrescribe feature is powered by DrFirst, is HIPAA-compliant and DEA/EPCS-ready, checks for drug interactions, allergies, and dosage issues, and replaces "handwritten scripts, clunky portals, and pharmacy callbacks," in the page's words.
ePrescribe is a paid add-on available on all paid plans. The DrFirst integration page lists it at $49 per practitioner per month plus a one-time $99 per-practitioner onboarding fee, with PDMP at an extra $5 per practitioner per month plus a one-time $399 per-practice, per-state onboarding fee. Onboarding fees are non-refundable.
Know the limits before you sign up. The DrFirst page states each of these:
An EHR should let you build a supplement protocol in the chart and let your client order from it without a second system. Practice Better's Protocols hold food, supplement, and lifestyle recommendations, save as reusable templates, produce a client-friendly supplement chart, and integrate with online dispensaries so clients can fulfill your recommendations.
The dispensary you connect depends on where you practice:
If your protocols include botanical products, check that your dispensary's catalog carries the ones you recommend. A dispensary order goes through the dispensary's checkout, while a prescription goes through DrFirst to a pharmacy, so plan for both channels if you use both.
An EHR should let you order a lab from the client record and get results back into the same chart. Practice Better connects lab ordering through Fullscript Labs, Rupa Health, and Evexia Diagnostics, and each has its own availability rules:
| Lab integration | Where it is available | Practice Better plan | Results in the chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fullscript Labs | U.S. practitioners only | Paid plans | Order from a client's record; results appear in Practice Better, with private or shared notes |
| Rupa Health | U.S. practitioners | Starter plan and up | Completed results sync automatically; annotations stay private until you share them |
| Evexia Diagnostics | U.S. and Canada; unavailable for clients in New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island | Starter plan and up | Results sync automatically; choose clinician-pay or patient-pay per order |
If you see clients across state lines, check each client's state against these limits.
Beyond prescribing, supplements, and labs, check charting and billing against how you run visits.
For the wider argument on fit, read why you shouldn't use a generic EHR for alternative medicine. If your practice leans functional medicine, the sibling guide on how to choose an EMR for a functional medicine practice goes deeper on demos and protocol versioning.
A naturopathic practice can skip e-prescribing when its license carries no prescriptive authority, or when it has no plan to prescribe. In both cases, judge the EHR on protocols, dispensary fit, labs, charting, and billing.
Location changes the list too. Practice Better's ePrescribe serves U.S.-based practitioners only, and Fullscript Labs and Rupa Health are U.S.-only. A practice in Canada can still use the Fullscript dispensary and Evexia labs.
Practice Better publishes a side-by-side comparison page for each of the three: Practice Better vs Practice Fusion, Practice Better vs CharmHealth, and Practice Better vs OptiMantra.
Take your licensing board's answer on prescribing scope into the trial, and see Practice Better for naturopathic doctors for the platform overview. Start a free trial and set up only what your license and location call for: ePrescribe if you prescribe, the dispensary for your country, and a lab service that covers your clients' states.
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Start with what your license lets you prescribe, because prescribing scope for naturopathic doctors varies by state and the board that licenses you is the source for it. If your license includes prescribing, your EHR needs e-prescribing inside the client chart, which Practice Better's e-prescribing guide recommends "to reduce double documentation and data entry errors." If it does not, the choice turns on supplement protocols, lab orders, charting, and billing.
Key takeaways
A naturopathic doctor needs e-prescribing software when their state license grants prescriptive authority and they plan to use it. Practice Better's ePrescribe FAQ states that only credentialed prescribing practitioners can send prescriptions.
Prescribing scope for naturopathic doctors varies by state, so confirm yours with the board that licenses you before you pay for an add-on. If you see clients in more than one state, you need a valid license in each state where you practice (source).
A naturopathic doctor needs Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances (EPCS) only when their state license allows controlled-substance prescribing and they plan to prescribe those drugs. Practice Better's ePrescribe supports controlled-substance workflows "if you have the proper credentials (e.g. EPCS)," per its ePrescribe FAQ.
EPCS pairs with a second add-on. The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) add-on lets you review what controlled substances a client has already been prescribed before you write a new one (DrFirst integration). Check controlled-substance authority with the board that licenses you before you enroll in either.
Look for e-prescribing that lives inside your chart, matches your state scope, and handles the per-state setup that comes with your license. Practice Better's guide to choosing e-prescribing software covers the general criteria, such as interaction alerts and prescription tracking. The table below covers the questions that follow from state licensing.
| Question for the vendor | Why it matters to a naturopathic doctor |
|---|---|
| Does e-prescribing run inside the client chart? | You avoid entering the same prescription twice (source) |
| Is EPCS available, and do you need it? | It only matters if your state license allows controlled-substance prescribing. Confirm with the board that licenses you |
| Is PDMP access integrated? | Practice Better's DrFirst page says some states require a physical practice address to qualify for integrated PDMP access (source). Ask this first if you run a telehealth-only practice |
| Are onboarding fees charged per state? | Practice Better's ePrescribe page lists PDMP's one-time $399 onboarding fee "per practice per state" (source) |
For the case for moving off paper scripts, see the benefits of e-prescribing for small private practices.
You send prescriptions electronically through e-prescribing software that creates the prescription and transmits it to your patient's chosen pharmacy (source). In Practice Better, you set up and use e-prescribing through the DrFirst integration, following the DrFirst integration page:
Practice Better e-prescribes for credentialed prescribers based in the U.S. Its ePrescribe feature is powered by DrFirst, is HIPAA-compliant and DEA/EPCS-ready, checks for drug interactions, allergies, and dosage issues, and replaces "handwritten scripts, clunky portals, and pharmacy callbacks," in the page's words.
ePrescribe is a paid add-on available on all paid plans. The DrFirst integration page lists it at $49 per practitioner per month plus a one-time $99 per-practitioner onboarding fee, with PDMP at an extra $5 per practitioner per month plus a one-time $399 per-practice, per-state onboarding fee. Onboarding fees are non-refundable.
Know the limits before you sign up. The DrFirst page states each of these:
An EHR should let you build a supplement protocol in the chart and let your client order from it without a second system. Practice Better's Protocols hold food, supplement, and lifestyle recommendations, save as reusable templates, produce a client-friendly supplement chart, and integrate with online dispensaries so clients can fulfill your recommendations.
The dispensary you connect depends on where you practice:
If your protocols include botanical products, check that your dispensary's catalog carries the ones you recommend. A dispensary order goes through the dispensary's checkout, while a prescription goes through DrFirst to a pharmacy, so plan for both channels if you use both.
An EHR should let you order a lab from the client record and get results back into the same chart. Practice Better connects lab ordering through Fullscript Labs, Rupa Health, and Evexia Diagnostics, and each has its own availability rules:
| Lab integration | Where it is available | Practice Better plan | Results in the chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fullscript Labs | U.S. practitioners only | Paid plans | Order from a client's record; results appear in Practice Better, with private or shared notes |
| Rupa Health | U.S. practitioners | Starter plan and up | Completed results sync automatically; annotations stay private until you share them |
| Evexia Diagnostics | U.S. and Canada; unavailable for clients in New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island | Starter plan and up | Results sync automatically; choose clinician-pay or patient-pay per order |
If you see clients across state lines, check each client's state against these limits.
Beyond prescribing, supplements, and labs, check charting and billing against how you run visits.
For the wider argument on fit, read why you shouldn't use a generic EHR for alternative medicine. If your practice leans functional medicine, the sibling guide on how to choose an EMR for a functional medicine practice goes deeper on demos and protocol versioning.
A naturopathic practice can skip e-prescribing when its license carries no prescriptive authority, or when it has no plan to prescribe. In both cases, judge the EHR on protocols, dispensary fit, labs, charting, and billing.
Location changes the list too. Practice Better's ePrescribe serves U.S.-based practitioners only, and Fullscript Labs and Rupa Health are U.S.-only. A practice in Canada can still use the Fullscript dispensary and Evexia labs.
Practice Better publishes a side-by-side comparison page for each of the three: Practice Better vs Practice Fusion, Practice Better vs CharmHealth, and Practice Better vs OptiMantra.
Take your licensing board's answer on prescribing scope into the trial, and see Practice Better for naturopathic doctors for the platform overview. Start a free trial and set up only what your license and location call for: ePrescribe if you prescribe, the dispensary for your country, and a lab service that covers your clients' states.
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