E-Prescribing in Medicare Could Prevent Up to 1.9 Million Medication Errors

(Washington, DC)—A new report that finds millions of Americans are either using their prescription medications incorrectly—or not taking them at all—underscores the importance of promoting electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) in Medicare, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) said today.

According to the report from the National Council on Patient Information and Education slated for release later this week, patients not experiencing acute symptoms are less likely to stick with their medications. For example, just 51 percent of patients with high blood pressure stick with their medications, according to the report.

“Today, 20 percent of prescriptions go unfilled,” said PCMA President Mark Merritt. “E-prescribing improves medication adherence by providing physicians with information on each patient’s medication history and more affordable prescription options. This real-time information allows the physician to know which medications the patient is actually taking, counsel them on the importance of sticking with their therapies, and discuss more affordable options if cost is an issue.”

Several published studies show that the clinical decision support information provided by e-prescribing systems can help doctors to significantly increase patient adherence. For example, one study showed that providing doctors with clinical decision support helped boost the medication compliance rate for patients with high cholesterol from 50 percent to 90 percent.1

As part of its e-prescribing campaign, PCMA released a study earlier this month that found e-prescribing could prevent up to 1.9 million medication errors and would also save the federal government billions over the next decade even after providing funds for equipment and training. Despite the benefits associated with e-prescribing, fewer than one in ten physicians actually use e-prescribing.

1 Bluml, BM, et al., “Pharmaceutical Care Services and Results in Project ImPACT: Hyperlipidemia,” J Am Pharm Assoc, 2000, 40 (2): 157-165.

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Contact Information:
Charles Coté 202-207-3605