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AHRQ to survey docs, providers on e-prescribing

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality plans to survey physicians and pharmacists about their electronic-prescribing habits to determine how those features are being used.

While e-prescribing has the potential to improve patient safety, physician adoption has been limited, AHRQ said in a notice in the Federal Register. The two-year survey will collect information from physicians and pharmacies in 110 organizations across 12 communities that are using e-prescribing, and ask providers their perspectives on those systems as well as how they use patient formulary data and other third-party information.

The communities are part of a tracking study that has been ongoing since the mid-1990s by the Center for Studying Health System Change. The center will conduct the study on AHRQ's behalf under a contract.

[ via Jean DerGurahian, Modern Healthcare's Daily Dose ]

Physician groups launch e-prescribing assessment tool

Five physician organizations on March 4 launched a Web site to help physicians link to the Pharmacy Health Information Exchange, an electronic prescribing network deployed by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and National Community Pharmacists Association in 2004. The Web site features a tool for identifying electronic prescription and medical record systems that are certified to connect with pharmacies through the electronic network, which is operated by SureScripts.

The Web site is sponsored by the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Cardiology, American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, and Medical Group Management Association. The groups emphasized that the network is compliant with Medicare Part D e-prescribing requirements that take effect in 2009.

[ via AHA News Now ]

Center to promote e-prescribing

An electronic prescription service and technology company on Aug. 15 joined with physicians and health insurers to launch a center that will study and promote “optimal approaches” to implementing e-prescribing. Partners in the Center for Improving Medication Management include SureScripts, an e-prescription and pharmacy information exchange service initiated by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and National Community Pharmacists Association; Intel Corp.; the American Academy of Family Physicians; Medical Group Management Association; Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association; and Humana Inc.

Three e-prescribing standards ready for adoption, HHS says

A year-long pilot project studying the effectiveness of standards for electronic prescribing systems found that three of the tested standards can support transactions that provide physicians with patients’ formulary and benefit information, medication history and the fill status of their medications, the Department of Health & Human Services said in a report to Congress released April 17. However, standards for conveying structured patient instructions, clinical drug terminology and messages on prior authorization information need further development.

The report also found that, with some adjustments, e-prescribing can work effectively in long-term care settings. Five health care organizations, including Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Cleveland’s University Hospitals Health System, tested the standards to determine if they were ready for widespread adoption. E-prescribing systems are among the first applications needed to lay the groundwork for a national electronic health network.

HHS is required to develop new e-prescribing standards under the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act.

[ via AHA News Now ]

Physicians report limited access to advanced e-prescribing features

Many advanced features associated with electronic prescribing are not being used by physicians due to product limitations, implementation hurdles and user preferences, according to a new study by the Center for Studying Health System Change. The federally funded study queried 21 physician practices about their experiences using commercial e-prescribing systems.

While physicians were positive about the most basic e-prescribing features, they often found it difficult to maintain complete patient medication lists, use their system’s drug interaction alerts, and electronically obtain formulary data and transmit prescriptions to pharmacies.

[ via AHA News Now ]

Bit by bit, use of computerized ordering rises

Use of computerized physician order-entry systems rose at U.S. hospitals to 5.7% of nongovernment hospitals from 4.1% last year, according to data released at the annual Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society meeting recently in San Diego. Some 3.2% of nongovernment hospitals said their physicians now use computerized systems to place at least half of orders, up from 2.5% the previous year, according to a survey by KLAS Enterprises, Orem, Utah. In absolute numbers, 377 hospitals said they had CPOE systems, 104 more than last year. The increase is significant, said Jason Hess, director of business development at KLAS. Still, Hess said, "After all these years, after all this talk and all the press that's out there, the growth is incremental."

[ via Modern Healthcare ]