|
Calif. Doctors
to Get Wired in State's
Largest
e-Prescribing Initiative
The
State of California's efforts to move into the age of wired health care received
a boost recently as The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS)
joined with Anthem Blue Cross, Medco Health Solutions Inc., and Blue Shield of
California to launch the state's largest electronic prescribing (e-Prescribing)
initiative to date, according to a recent Medco news release. Medco Health
Solutions is providing project management resources for the pilot program.
The pilot
program, the latest large-scale initiative in the United States, will use input
from participating physicians to determine the best ways to employ e-Prescribing
technology in their practices and facilitate use by all prescribers. Program
organizers will track results such as the number of identified preventable
adverse drug events, use of e-Prescribing, and generic drug and formulary
prescribing rates. A report to be released at the end of the study will showcase
results of the pilot program.
The scope of
the project includes working with several physician groups that serve CalPERS
members in addition to other patients in the community. The health plan Anthem
Blue Cross and the health plan Blue Shield of California will each work with the
pilot medical groups and their chosen e-Prescribing vendors to address barriers
to e-Prescribing.
"The evidence
supports the thesis that e-Prescribing improves patient safety, enhances the
quality of patient care, and reduces cost to the physician, the health plan and
the patient," said Priya Mathur, chair of the CalPERS health benefits committee.
"Our goal with this pilot project is to protect our members' safety, while
accelerating the acceptance and adoption of e-Prescribing by the physicians who
serve them."
"We believe
that e-Prescribing is the first step to wiring healthcare, and that working well
with doctors is essential to e-Prescribing's success. Our initiative will help
us identify how to best transition to technology solutions that will help
doctors improve outcomes and lower costs." said John P. Driscoll, Medco's
president of new markets.
"I believe
e-Prescribing used at this broader level will help ensure patient safety on
several fronts," said Leslie A. Margolin, president of Anthem Blue Cross. "This
tool will help to eliminate the danger of handwriting misinterpretation or
having incomplete patient information. e-Prescribing can also flag drug-to-drug
interactions and allergies at the point of care."
"e-Prescribing reduces medication errors, lowers prescription drug costs and
decreases administrative costs for physicians and pharmacies," said Nancy
Stalker, vice president, pharmacy benefit management, Blue Shield of California.
"At Blue Shield of California, we are committed to improving the quality and
accessibility of healthcare, and we expect this pilot program to help speed the
adoption of e-Prescribing throughout California."
e-Prescribing
uses an automated data entry system (such as a desktop computer, handheld device
or personal computer tablet) in the physician's office to electronically submit
a prescription to the patient's pharmacy of choice. e-Prescribing gives
physicians real-time access to important safety and prescription coverage
information, so they can make more informed prescribing decisions. e-Prescribing
has been widely recognized for its ability to improve patient safety, increase
practice efficiency for physicians and pharmacies, and reduce health care costs,
explained the release.
e-Prescribing
has been widely recognized, continued the release, as a secure transaction that
can improve patient safety, increase practice efficiency for physicians and
pharmacies, and reduce health care costs. A study by the E-Health Initiative
projected that nationwide adoption of e-prescribing would save $27 billion a
year, primarily as a result of decreased spending on prescription drugs.
The CalPERS
e-Prescribing pilot program will continue through December 2009. Results will be
reported in 2010 at which time the program will be evaluated. The e-Prescribing
software used by all participating physician groups meets Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements for privacy and
security.
CalPERS is
the nation's largest public pension fund with more than $166 billion in market
assets. It provides retirement benefits to more than 1.6 million state, school
and local public employees, retirees and their families, and health benefits to
nearly 1.3 million members.
07/01/09 |
