6 E-Prescribing Vendors To Watch
If your healthcare organization hasn't embraced electronic prescribing, it's time to get going. Consider this cross-section of today's array of e-prescribing tools .
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E-prescribing is among the requirements of the HITECH Act's $27 billion incentive program for the Meaningful Use of health IT. And in accordance with the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA), Medicare providers who haven't adopted e-prescribing in their practices will face payment penalties starting in 2012.
MedPlus, a subsidiary of Quest Diagnostics, offers an array of e-health products, including its Care360 e-health record platform. Care360 e-Prescribing Labs and Meds is available as part of the comprehensive Care360 EHR offering, or as a standalone e-prescribing service. Care360 connects to the Pharmacy Health Information Exchange operated by Surescripts. Care360 ePrescribing helps clinicians eliminate data omissions and errors, so there is less chance of a dangerous mistake--or the need for follow-up with patients, pharmacies, or providers. Care360 runs on any Web-connected PC or laptop, as well as on the iPhone and iPad. The service also enables formulary management, drug utilization review, medication insurance eligibility, and expanded medication history among multiple providers.
Pictured here is a screenshot of a Care360 e-Prescribing drug interaction warning that pops up to alert doctors when a prescribed medication could interfere with the safety or effectiveness of another drug that's also recorded as being part of the patient's regimen. The warning also pops up if a patient has a known allergy to ingredients in the prescribed medication. Doctors can choose another medication to prescribe instead, or override the warning and prescribe the drug anyway.
Cerner ePrescribe is an easy-to-use, standalone e-prescribing system that automates the prescription writing process. This component of Cerner Ambulatory EHR lets providers send prescriptions to pharmacies electronically and respond to pharmacy prescription renewal requests from a computer. Electronic transmission to the pharmacy takes place via electronic data interchange. Cerner says clients using ePrescribe report a 50% to 75% reduction in the amount of time needed for staff to process prescriptions. Among its capabilities, Cerner ePrescribe simplifies medication ordering renewal processes. Patient prescription plan eligibility, formularies, and external medication history can also be displayed.
With Allscripts ePrescribe Deluxe, clinicians send prescriptions electronically to retail and mail order pharmacies via Internet, iPhone, or mobile device. No software downloading or new hardware is needed. Practices can easily retrieve patient medication history, protected by privacy and security measures, including prescriber authentication. Allscripts e-prescription app’s list of drug formularies can be customized to display medications that are legal and available in the region where clinicians practice. With features such as automatic drug interaction checking, dosage checks, adverse reaction checks, and duplicate therapy checks, patient safety is improved. Clinicians can also use the system to access information about formularies and lower cost drug alternatives.
Practice Fusion's free Web-based ePrescribing can be used as a standalone system or as part of Practice Fusion's EHR. The offering, which is SureScripts certified, allows prescriptions to be sent to more than 60,000 U.S. pharmacies. Among its features, as seen here, is quick access to interactive maps to locate pharmacies in proximity to the address of a doctor practice or the patient.
SRS ePrescribing can streamline the process of generating and electronically transmitting prescriptions, significantly saving physicians' time. By allowing clinicians to maintain up-to-date profiles of prescribed medications, expedite the refill process, and identify drug-to-drug interactions, SRS ePrescribing can help enhance the quality of patient care that providers deliver. Fully compliant with the U.S. government's incentive program requirements, SRS ePrescribing enables physicians to qualify for Medicare ePrescribing and HITECH Act Meaningful Use incentives. SRS ePrescribing uses Surescripts to route prescriptions and document transactions with as little as one click. The SRS e-prescribing tool is available as part of the SRS EHR or as a standalone product.
With the e-prescribing capabilities of GE Healthcare's Centricity Practice Solution 10, physician practices can access formulary lists that are specific for each patient, and can prescribe a medication quickly and electronically. The tool is only available to Centricity customers but it works with both the standalone Centricity EMR and GE Healthcare's integrated practice management and software, Centricity Practice Solution.
With the e-prescribing capabilities of GE Healthcare's Centricity Practice Solution 10, physician practices can access formulary lists that are specific for each patient, and can prescribe a medication quickly and electronically. The tool is only available to Centricity customers but it works with both the standalone Centricity EMR and GE Healthcare's integrated practice management and software, Centricity Practice Solution.
E-prescribing is among the requirements of the HITECH Act's $27 billion incentive program for the Meaningful Use of health IT. And in accordance with the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA), Medicare providers who haven't adopted e-prescribing in their practices will face payment penalties starting in 2012.
MedPlus, a subsidiary of Quest Diagnostics, offers an array of e-health products, including its Care360 e-health record platform. Care360 e-Prescribing Labs and Meds is available as part of the comprehensive Care360 EHR offering, or as a standalone e-prescribing service. Care360 connects to the Pharmacy Health Information Exchange operated by Surescripts. Care360 ePrescribing helps clinicians eliminate data omissions and errors, so there is less chance of a dangerous mistake--or the need for follow-up with patients, pharmacies, or providers. Care360 runs on any Web-connected PC or laptop, as well as on the iPhone and iPad. The service also enables formulary management, drug utilization review, medication insurance eligibility, and expanded medication history among multiple providers.
Pictured here is a screenshot of a Care360 e-Prescribing drug interaction warning that pops up to alert doctors when a prescribed medication could interfere with the safety or effectiveness of another drug that's also recorded as being part of the patient's regimen. The warning also pops up if a patient has a known allergy to ingredients in the prescribed medication. Doctors can choose another medication to prescribe instead, or override the warning and prescribe the drug anyway.
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