9 Advantages of e-prescription

Advantages

1. Electronic prescribing replaces pen and paper with automated, cutting-edge technology.

2. Real-time clinical decision support for patient safety is a key feature of electronic prescribing systems. Electronic systems can check each prescription as it is written, either for internal inconsistencies such as excessive dosage or for conflicts with the patient’s known allergies, interactions with other active medications, duplicate therapy and many other conditions.

3. On the administrative side, presenting accurate and concise formulary and benefit information at the point of care enables the prescriber to know which drugs are considered to be “on formulary” or have the highest formulary coverage status (most preferred), as well as alternative medications for those drugs not on formulary.

4. Prescriber can also be aware of unique circumstances that may impact or otherwise limit the plan coverage for a given medication, such as prior authorization requirements, quantity limits, gender limits, age restrictions, step therapy rules, etc. Having this information available to prescribers at the point of care during the medication selection and treatment decision making process can improve formulary compliance and generic substitution which helps to control prescription drug costs.

5. E-prescribing transactions and access to patient information are only available when requested by an authorized provider through their certified application. There is no national database containing everyone’s personal health information. All e-prescribing systems use role-based access, meaning that only those who are authorized to see sensitive patient information can access it. Firewalls and encryption add even higher levels of protection. Additionally, the use of this technology to access personal health information must comply with all aspects of the Transaction, Privacy and Security requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), as well as any state laws that exceed these federal regulations.

6. Creates electronic records to ensure prescription information is not lost

7. Eliminate transcription or legibility errors.

8. It is estimated that approximately 20 percent of prescriptions go unfilled by patients every year. This non-compliance is dangerous to the health of these patients. Not following a provider’s instructions to take a prescribed medication increases the likelihood of hospitalization, developing complications, disease progression and premature disability. It is also a waste of time and resources for providers, pharmacies and health plans. One study concludes that non-compliance with prescription medications costs at least $75 billion each year. The electronic transmission of a prescription to a pharmacy increases the likelihood that it will be picked up by the patient. It eliminates the patient’s responsibility of delivering the prescription to the pharmacy, a problem cited by more than one-third of patients who either forgot to drop it off or had difficulty doing so.

9. The adoption of e-prescribing can significantly reduce prescription drug fraud and abuse. Electronic systems give providers, pharmacies, payers and government agencies the ability to see events in near real-time that may be virtually undetectable with paper prescriptions. Audit trails show exactly which physician or provider prescribed a medication and when, and expert systems can detect unusual prescribing patterns.