October, 2024

Modernizing Benefits of E-Prescribing for Prescription Management Stakeholders

In this era of e-prescribing, there’s no reason to rely on outdated, manual processes like handling paper-based prescriptions or adding unnecessary work for your staff with repetitive tasks. Streamlining workflows and reducing manual data entry can make a significant difference for providers, patients, and pharmacies alike.

If you and fellow stakeholders in your medical practice have been on the fence about switching from paper to e-prescribing or what a quality e-prescribing system should entail, here’s an overview of the many benefits that come from embracing a modern approach.

Comparing Traditional Paper-based Prescriptions with E-Prescribing

Paper-based prescriptions are a relic from the past. Providers used to have no alternative, so they accepted the limitations of paper, such as the potential of patients losing these important documents, and potential difficulties reading a busy physician’s scribbled instructions.

With e-prescribing, you maintain digital records of each prescription, so there’s no need to worry about losing the data. You can also review the details of a patient’s prescription history over the network, even if you work out of an office in a different city.

For context, every state in the union created laws that allowed e-prescribing in 2006, following the 2003 passage of the Medicare Modernization Act, according to the U.S. government’s HealthITbuzz website, under the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

By 2009, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act promoted e-prescribing via certified health IT systems, such as the electronic health record (EHR) systems used in medical practices. And the next year, the Drug Enforcement Administration ruled that doctors could use e-prescribing to write orders for controlled substances.

Today, most EHR systems allow for e-prescribing, and most pharmacies can accept electronically transmitted prescriptions, per HealthITbuzz. They state that 92% of prescribers now offer e-prescribing. If you’re among the estimated 8% of providers who do not yet offer e-prescribing, it’s time to evaluate the various benefits to providers, patients and pharmacies.

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Benefits for Providers

There are many benefits of e-prescribing for providers, such as:

Efficiency

Software and networked computer technology make it much easier for providers to enter data one time only and then re-use it multiple times, rather than entering the same information for patients, such as when needing to write new prescriptions.

You can also check patients’ insurance coverage of particular medications, such as brand name medicines versus generics, as spelled out in the insurer’s formulary.

Keep track of controlled substances

It’s crucial to monitor your patients’ usage of controlled substances. When there’s only a paper trail instead of comprehensive digital records, “doctor shopping” patients—those seeking to obtain more medication than is safe or recommended—can more easily evade detection.

Your e-prescription setup will help you identify potential over-prescribing. Drug-seeking patients cannot forge or steal paper prescriptions when you switch to e-prescribing software.

Allergies and interactions

Your practice’s e-prescription software will enable you to learn about potential drug interactions and allergies for your patients before you sign off on prescriptions, enhancing their safety.

You can’t rely on a worried parent being able to recall every drug that his or her child is allergic to, such as an antibiotic. The system will show you at a glance that patient records indicate an allergy or potential for a bad interaction with other medications.

Avoid dangerous mistakes

With so many medications having similar names, your staff might make clerical errors or typing mistakes. Your e-prescription application will help you avoid giving the patient the wrong medication.

Adhere to Meaningful Use standards

Practices that use e-prescribing software meet the evolving meaningful use requirements for their Medicare patients. The first step is to transmit at least 40% of your prescriptions electronically.

The second step is to send more than half of your prescriptions through e-prescribing, while the third step of meeting meaningful use standards is to send more than 80% of prescriptions electronically.

Benefits for Patients

You’ll find that patients appreciate the advantages of e-prescribing and will want you to provide this service in order to:

Save time

Imagine you’re a busy, harried parent with little time to spare to bring a child’s paper-based prescription to the pharmacy, and then wait for it to be filled there.

Instead, in doctors’ offices that have enabled e-prescribing, the staff can instantly transmit a digital prescription to the pharmacist so it can be filled while the patient is en route to the pharmacy.

Refill prescriptions that run out while on vacation

People sometimes forget to check their supply of medication when heading out for their vacation.

If your physician has enabled e-prescribing, refilling the medication and transmitting it to a pharmacy at the holiday destination is a snap.

Use the patient portal to request a refill

Patients are becoming increasingly accustomed to using their computer or mobile device to access information and make inquiries to all sorts of service providers.

They’ll appreciate the convenience of accessing a patient portal, which typically connects to your electronic health record (EHR) system. This allows them to safely and securely request refills online, while also exploring the additional advantages and considerations that come with using patient portals.

Benefits for Pharmacies

Faster service and error reduction are chief e-prescribing benefits for pharmacies:

Provide faster service

Busy pharmacists appreciate it when patients’ prescriptions arrive electronically. They don’t have to transcribe the details from paper forms into their computer systems.

Reduce Errors

Doctors have a reputation for bad handwriting, which is no joking matter when it comes to deciphering a hastily scrawled paper prescription.

Pharmacists will see exactly what the doctor ordered without wondering if they are interpreting the details correctly. It can take significant time to get the doctor or his or her physician’s assistant on the line to verify a particular prescription’s details.

Satisfy Customers

Pharmacies that accept electronic prescriptions demonstrate that they value the time of their staff and the customers they serve.

Modernizing Your Patient Care With an EHR and E-prescribing from Benchmark Solutions

It’s best to work with a medical software company that partners with a recognized controlled substances provider, such as Surescripts. Benchmark Solutions’ e-prescribing add-on solution complies with state mandates for Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances (EPCS) by utilizing dual-authentication through IndenTrust. This allows providers to digitally “sign” controlled substances prescriptions and send them directly to the pharmacy of their choice. It also supports integration with Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) to ensure compliance and patient safety.

Deploying an electronic health record (EHR) system is the first step in modernizing your medical practice. Benchmark Solutions’ e-prescribing solution is an available add-on to Benchmark EHR, making the connection between your EHR and the e-prescribing system seamless. You’ll also want to activate the patient portal function of your EHR to help patients connect with your staff quickly and conveniently, saving time when they need to request prescription refills or reauthorizations.

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