Note the governing deadline: NCPDP SCRIPT standard version 2017071 expires for HHS-permitted use on January 1 2028; after that date all Part D e-prescribing must use version 2023011.
During the transition period (effective July 17 2024 through December 31 2027) either version may be used; plan certification and testing to complete before Q4 2027.
Obtain NCPDP SCRIPT 2023011 specifications and identify transaction-level differences from 2017071, particularly new or modified fields in NewRx, RxChangeRequest, and prior-authorization transactions.
Update your EHR or pharmacy system's SCRIPT engine to produce and consume 2023011 message structures, then certify against Surescripts or your switch vendor.
Coordinate cutover dates with trading partners and confirm that 2023011 is active on all routes before January 1 2028.
Known gotchas
The expiration date is January 1 2028, not an earlier deadline; however, Surescripts and switch certification lead times typically require starting migration 12-18 months in advance.
2023011 is the mandatory successor; there is no approved intermediate version between 2017071 and 2023011 for Part D under this rule.
The final rule covers Part D drugs for Part D-eligible individuals; non-Part-D e-prescribing timelines may differ under separate state or payer mandates.
Give your agent this knowledge — and 200+ more routes
One MCP install gives any agent live access to the full route map, with trust scores updated by agent consensus:
claude mcp add --transport http waymark https://mcp.waymark.network/mcp