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| * Prescribe the most medically appropriate and cost effective ] at the point of care. | * Prescribe the most medically appropriate and cost effective ] at the point of care. | ||
| By eliminating paper, phone and fax from prescribing, electronic prescribing can make getting patients the medications they need a safer and more efficient process. E-prescribing is designed to replace other approaches to prescribing - e.g. ] prescriptions, computer-printed prescriptions and computer-faxed prescriptions that can be considered outdated or error-prone. | By eliminating paper, phone and fax from prescribing, electronic prescribing can make getting patients the medications they need a safer and more efficient process. E-prescribing is designed to replace other approaches to prescribing - e.g. ] prescriptions, computer-printed prescriptions and computer-faxed prescriptions that can be considered outdated or error-prone. | ||
| By exchanging prescription information electronically, e-prescribing can help reduce the risk of ] associated with poor handwriting, illegible faxes and additional key strokes. | By exchanging prescription information electronically, e-prescribing can help reduce the risk of ] associated with poor handwriting, illegible faxes and additional key strokes. | ||
Revision as of 15:34, 1 July 2009
Electronic prescribing or e-prescribing is a medical practitioner’s patient-specific clinical and economic information, for consenting patients, to:
- Prescribe the most medically appropriate and cost effective prescription at the point of care.
By eliminating paper, phone and fax from prescribing, electronic prescribing can make getting patients the medications they need a safer and more efficient process. E-prescribing is designed to replace other approaches to prescribing - e.g. handwritten prescriptions, computer-printed prescriptions and computer-faxed prescriptions that can be considered outdated or error-prone.
By exchanging prescription information electronically, e-prescribing can help reduce the risk of medication errors associated with poor handwriting, illegible faxes and additional key strokes.
E-prescribing also has the potential to improve beneficiary health outcomes. For providers who choose to invest in e-prescribing technology, the adoption could improve quality and efficiency and could show promise in reducing costs by actively promoting appropriate drug usage; providing information to providers and dispensers about formulary-based drug coverage, including formulary alternatives and co-pay information; and speeding up the process of renewing medications. E-prescribing also may play a significant role in efforts to reduce the incidence of drug diversion by alerting providers and pharmacists of duplicative prescriptions for controlled substances.
E-prescribing has the potential to empower both prescribers and pharmacists to deliver higher quality care and improve workflow efficiencies. Prescribers give a handwritten prescription to the patient or fax it to a pharmacy or other dispenser. Pharmacists can have a difficult time reading handwritten prescriptions and may have little or no information about the patient’s condition for which the prescription is written. According to some estimates, almost 30 percent of prescriptions require pharmacy callbacks. This translates into less time available to the pharmacist for other important functions, such as educating consumers about their medications. A potential benefit of e-prescribing in preventing errors is that each prescription can be checked electronically–and quickly–at the time of prescribing.
In addition to the potential for saving time, the Institute of Medicine - through its November 1999 report - To Err is Human: Building A Safer Health System has noted that widespread adoption of e-prescribing could eliminate thousands of adverse drug events each year.
References
- http://www.hhs.gov/asl/testify/2007/12/t20071204c.html
- Medicare Program; E-Prescribing and the Prescription Drug Program; Proposed Rule. 70 FR 6256, February 4, 2005
- http://www.iom.edu/?id=12735