e-Prescribing
Electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) enables the electronic transmission of prescriptions and allows authorized prescribing physicians access to a patient’s medication history at the point of care. E-prescribing systems are a form of health information exchange that integrate prescribed medication data from multiple stakeholders; including pharmacy benefit managers, payers, and pharmacies to provide medication decision support tools. Efforts to promote the use of e-prescribing have been ongoing in Florida for over five years. These outreach efforts propelled Florida’s e-prescribing activity to a ranking of 12th among states, as reported for 2010 by Surescripts. In 2010, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) recommended that the Agency for Health Care Administration (Agency) focus outreach initiatives on independent community pharmacies in order to achieve full pharmacy participation in e-prescribing. In response, the Agency conducted a survey in 2011 of community pharmacies to guide future outreach efforts.
Additionally, the Agency will obtain input and guidance from the Health Information Coordinating Committee (HIECC). This committee provides for the coordination of e-prescribing as part of Florida’s health information exchange initiatives.
Outreach Objectives:
In 2011, the Agency received direction from the ONC to revitalize e-prescribing outreach efforts. The following plan outlines the steps the Agency will take to increase adoption and use of e-prescribing software by independent and rural pharmacies in Florida. The plan is a fluid document and will continue to evolve as outreach efforts continue.
Main message: With the increasing use of e-prescribing solutions by health care providers, independent and rural pharmacies’ acceptance of e-prescriptions can potentially improve patient compliance and thereby treatment outcomes.
Secondary Messages: The benefits e-prescribing provides include reducing the amount of errors caused by miscommunication of the handwritten paper prescription, reduction in the opportunities for fraud and abuse that occur due to a lack of secure prescription delivery to the pharmacy, and creation of a more traceable trail for auditing purposes. E-prescribing also improves prescription accuracy, increases patient safety, and reduces costs. Promotion of e-prescribing adoption is an integral part of the education and outreach efforts for the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) conducted under the HITECH programs.
Target Audience(s):
- Independent Pharmacies
- Rural Pharmacies
Collaborative Efforts:
In order to facilitate e-prescribing outreach efforts, partnering with stakeholders will be necessary. Agency staff will meet with and promote e-prescribing through the cooperation of several entities; these bodies include but are not limited to:
• Regional Extension Centers
• Florida Department of Health
• Florida Pharmacy Association
• Surescripts
• Small Business Association
• Emdeon
• Pharmacy schools
Methods of Outreach:
• This initiative has a narrowly defined target audience of independent and rural pharmacists. As such, outreach efforts will be deliberate and will focus on ways to reach the defined audience. Educational information about the benefits of e-prescribing for independent pharmacies will be distributed both by the Agency directly and through identified partners.
• The Agency will continue to disseminate information on e-prescribing to the general public. The Agency will include consumer e-prescribing information on its consumer
website.
• The Agency will work to engage the participation of state professional pharmacy associations, pharmacy colleges, and pharmacy students in promoting the benefits of e-prescribing to independent and rural pharmacists.
• The Agency will identify and promote opportunities for the participation of pharmacists in health information exchange and will work with pharmacists to identify health information exchange opportunities to improve the e-prescribing process through health information exchange.