e-Prescribing
Electronic prescribing or “e-prescribing” allows for the electronic transmission of prescription information from the point-of-care directly to the pharmacy. E-prescribing, also shortened to “eRx,” includes features such as warning alerts for duplicate therapies, drug interactions and allergy warnings for individual patients are all patient safety benefits of this technology.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) created an eRx incentive program that offers financial incentives to those using a “qualified” e-prescribing system. The majority of e-prescribing and electronic health record (EHR) systems on the market today have such capabilities. A qualified system must be capable of doing the following:
- selecting medications, printing prescriptions
- electronically transmitting prescriptions
- conducting all safety checks such as drug-drug interactions and allergy concerns
- providing information related to the availability of lower cost and therapeutically appropriate alternatives (if any)
- providing information on formulary or tiered formulary medications, patient eligibility, and authorization requirements received electronically from the patient’s drug plan
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