prescriptions

Report offers national e-prescribing plan

Anne Zieger — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:52:25 -0400

Despite considerable political pressure on physicians to adopt e-prescribing, few have gotten on board. In fact, only 2 percent of prescriptions eligible for electronic routing were transmitted that way in 2007. However, the right combination of incentives, regulatory changes and infrastructure improvements could go a long way toward reversing this trend. Article

E-prescribing advocates harness patient pressure

Mon, 05 May 2008 06:59:59 -0400

If vendor SureScripts gets its way, e-prescribing should develop a much higher profile among consumers, doctors and pharmacies over the next few weeks. Last Tuesday, the company kicked off what looks like a very comprehensive campaign promoting the use of e-prescribing, including virtually all of the nation's pharmacy chains and thousands of independents.

The campaign, interestingly, doesn't deluge physicians directly with pitches. Instead, it urges patients to sell their doctors on e-prescribing, helpfully providing them with a physician-oriented website (www.GetRxConnected.com) to help close the deal.

While SureScripts doesn't say as much in its announcement on the campaign (naturally), to me this suggests that the company has all but thrown its hand up in the air when it comes to recruiting physicians directly. As the company notes, only 4 percent of physicians' offices are prepared to e-prescribe, despite the fact that more than 40,000 pharmacies can accept such prescriptions.

Will patient pressure have an impact? I think so. This kind of "push" strategy can work very well in retail--even though retailers are as loathe to change their buying patterns as doctors are their practice style. While doctors aren't going to change their habits overnight, repeated patient requests will get through. After all, not only are doctors concerned about keeping patients, they're certainly capable of learning something new from them.

Besides, what else can SureScripts do? Many proven physician marketing tactics don't apply here. For example, put friendly, attractive young men and women in suits and send them to pitch doctors directly, as pharmas do with new drugs, and it'd be a big bust. E-prescribing reps would have no educational updates or samples to offer.

Now, the question is whether efforts like this can move the needle enough to make a difference. Let's see, folks! - Anne

Coalition wants e-prescribing included in Medicare reform

Mon, 05 May 2008 06:59:57 -0400

A coalition of 44 healthcare industry organizations have come together to ask Congress to to include e-prescribing mandates in Medicare reform legislation. The members want legislators to adopt the Medicare Electronic Medication and Safety Protection Act of 2007 (E-MEDS), which would require Medicare providers to use e-prescribing technology. The group should have some clout, as it includes some heavy hitters, including the BlueCross BlueShield Association, AT&T, the National Business Group on Health, General Motors, WellPoint, CIGNA, Aetna and Verizon.

In recent times, it's begun to look like a Medicare e-prescribing mandate is all but certain. However, despite these endorsements, it hasn't happened yet, and it's not clear whether HHS is inclined to force the matter.

To learn more about this initiative:
- read this Modern Healthcare article (reg. req.)

Related Articles:
Momentum growing for requiring Medicare e-prescribing
HHS head encourages payers to demand e-prescribing
Group says controlled-substance rules block e-prescribing
E-prescribing: What's holding it back?

Medical groups advocate e-prescribing

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 07:59:57 -0400

In the past, much of the push toward e-prescribing has come from government officials or technology vendors. Now, that seems to be changing. This week, a group of five medical organizations have come together for a campaign designed to persuade physicians to switch from paper to e-prescribing technology. The organizations, which include the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics, hope to reach the whopping 94 percent of doctors who still don't e-prescribe. Right now, group leaders said, even doctors who have an EMR in place are often faxing prescriptions to pharmacies, at which point the data has to be re-entered into a computer (a potential source for errors to be introduced).

To help doctors make the switch, the group has developed the "Get Connected" campaign, which includes their GetRxConnected.com website. The site includes a technology guide, testimonies from e-prescribing doctors and a list of connected pharmacies.

To learn more about this effort:
- read this PC World item

Related Articles:
Study: E-prescribing boosts safety, quality. Report
Trend: E-prescribing top HIT issue for 2008. Article
Groups launch campaign to promote e-prescribing. Article
E-prescribing: What's holding it back? Editor's Corner
Mississippi Medicaid saves $14M with e-prescribing. Article

SPOTLIGHT: MA still e-prescribing friendly

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 07:59:52 -0400

For the second year in a row, Massachusetts has been named the country's most e-prescribing friendly state. According to an audit, Massachusetts sent 4 million prescriptions electronically, or more than 13 percent of all eligible prescriptions. So why are doctors there doing so well on this front? Article

Study: E-prescribing boosts safety, quality

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 06:59:55 -0500

A new study commissioned by an e-prescribing network suggests that physicians are pretty comfortable with the technology. The study, which was conducted among physicians participating in a three-year pilot program and backed by HaldyMcIntosh & Associates for the Southeastern Michigan ePrescribing Initiative, said they now believe e-prescribing can help them practice safer medicine and improve quality. It surveyed 500 physicians and staff members who use the technology, and found that more than 80 percent of all scripts issued by respondents now were being done electronically. Moreover, 40 percent of physicians now were writing only e-prescriptions. Pretty remarkable results, even if the sponsoring organization has something to gain here.

To get more data from the study:
- read this Healthcare IT News piece

Related Articles:
Trend: E-prescribing top HIT issue for 2008. Article
Groups launch campaign to promote e-prescribing. Article
E-prescribing: What's holding it back? Editor's Corner
Mississippi Medicaid saves $14M with e-prescribing. Article

Google begins storing medical records

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:59:58 -0500

After more than a year of coy hints, Google has come out and taken a ground-breaking step. Starting with somewhere between 1,500 and 10,000 Cleveland Clinic patients, all of whom will be volunteers, Google will begin storing information from their existing personal health records. The information will be drawn from an existing PHR already maintained by the Clinic, dubbed eCleveland Clinic MyChart. To access their health profiles--which include information on prescriptions, allergies and medical history--they'll use the same ID and password they use to access less-sensitive services like the Google calendar or Gmail.

Sure, there are advantages to this arrangement. In particular, putting health information onto Google's servers will make it very accessible--in fact, it's about as close to a universal home page as we've got right now--which could certainly be helpful to physicians who want to access it when the patient's away from home. Still, the announcement has privacy advocates upset, who argue that Google is hardly the kind of neutral intermediary one might hope for when it comes to protecting health information privacy. And the fact that Google isn't an HIPAA-covered entity gives their arguments some heft. Truth is, whether it's Google, Microsoft or the next search/portal giant yet to emerge, big interactive companies are going to want in on the future of health information. At this point, HIT pros and privacy advocates alike might want to think about workable compromises here.

To learn more about Google's announcement:
- read this Associated Press piece

ALSO: For a contrarian take on the privacy issues involved, check out this piece in The Health Care Blog. Blog

Related Articles:
A Google vision for health data. Report
Google Health on the verge of launching. Report
This column is not about Google. Editorial

DEA allows e-prescriptions for controlled drugs

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 06:59:58 -0500

In a step which could make e-prescribing far more workable than it had been before, the DEA has released proposed regulations which would remove federal rules forbidding e-prescribing for controlled substances. The new rules would allow physicians to e-prescribe some painkillers, antidepressants and asthma drugs, which add up to about 10 percent of all scripts written in the U.S. The rules, which have been submitted to the Justice Department, won't become final until both Justice and the Office of Management and Budget review them.

The DEA has been under pressure to make some changes since 19 senators sent a letter to the Justice Department urging them to speed up the process of amending the rules. Still, despite this progress, the DEA hasn't attached any particular date to when the rules will be finalized. So it still could be a long time before anything actually changes.

To learn more about the DEA's plans:
- read this Modern Healthcare article (reg. req.)

Related Articles:
DEA eases painkiller prescription rules. FierceHealthcare
DEA may allow e-prescribing of controlled substances. Report
Group says controlled-substance rules block e-prescribing. Report
E-prescribing highlights barriers to data sharing. Editorial

ALSO NOTED: Brooklyn HIE to begin operations; Mass. e-prescribing up in 2007; and much more...

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> The Brooklyn Health Information Exchange has begun developing an enterprise master person index in preparation for beginning operations this summer. Article

> E-prescribing seems to be growing in Massachusetts. Participants in a payer-sponsored e-prescribing network there sent 8.4 percent more prescriptions in 2007 than 2006. Article

> Foundations have agreed to provide almost $1 million to set up an EMR and billing system in at least 13 school-based health centers in greater New Orleans. Article

> Case study: A Las Vegas medical group has rolled out a portal which allows patients to perform key functions such as making appointments, refilling prescriptions and viewing their electronic medical records. Article

> Wyoming's health data organization has set up a Web site to help educate providers about RHIOs and help them come to terms with privacy and security concerns. Article

And Finally... Putting doctors in key health IT positions sounds good, but making it work is harder than it sounds. Article

Trend: E-prescribing top HIT issue for 2008

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 06:59:58 -0500

It's looking like e-prescribing is going to be the hottest health IT issue under discussion in 2008, according to a growing list of observers and stakeholders in the industry. For one thing, much could happen if a recent bill requiring Medicare physicians to adopt e-prescribing by 2011 gets passed. The bill, sponsored by Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) is stalled in committee, but the idea is a popular one, observers note. Not only that, HHS head Mike Leavitt is encouraging private payers to push providers in this direction, too. Then, consider that the DEA appears to be ready to let providers prescribe controlled substances electronically, and it begins to look like e-prescribing is getting more practical than it had been, too.

All told, it seems almost a foregone conclusion that this year will be an e-prescribing turning point. The main question, now, will be how long it will take to get the systems in place and the physicians actually using the technology.

To learn more about this trend:
- read this iHealthBeat piece

Related Articles:
Momentum growing for requiring Medicare e-prescribing. Report
HHS head encourages payers to demand e-prescribing. Report
DEA may allow e-prescribing of controlled substances. Report
E-prescribing: What's holding it back? Editorial
E-prescribing highlights barriers to data sharing. Editorial