Why do I have to have a patient's vitals to be able to send a prescription?

ReLiMed EMR's ePrescribing module must comply with NCPDP SCRIPT version 2017071 and according to this specification, all patients aged 18 and younger must have at least one set of height and weight entered into the EMR so that it can be sent with the prescription.

The SCRIPT 2017071 Observation element in the NewRx transaction supports the use of a patient's height, weight and other vital signs:

• Inclusion of VitalSign (most recent patient's height and weight) and ObservationDate (YYYY-MM-DD height and weight observed/taken) is required for patients 18 years old and younger on all new and renewal prescriptions from a prescriber to a pharmacy.
  • If the height and/or weight have changed and a prescriber is sending an approved renewal response, the response should be coded as Approved with Changes.

Below is the excerpt from the specification: