Electronic prescriptions or e-Prescriptions is a type of rapidly growing technology that refers to the digitization of medical prescriptions from a healthcare provider. Electronic prescriptions improve the efficacy of prescription processing and delivery. They make it easier for practitioners to send a patient’s prescription information over to their pharmacy, avoiding the need to make a written note which a patient can often lose or can be misinterpreted by the pharmacist.
e-Prescriptions rely on a special type of software and a very detailed transmission network to quickly and securely make any type of medication request. This software is now a part of most U.S pharmacies and providers’ equipment. About 91% of community pharmacies have already adopted e-Prescription technology and 34% of office-based providers count on it. From sending multiple medications at once to e-coupons, here are some of the top benefits related to e-Prescriptions.
Electronic prescription is considered one of the most efficient and convenient prescription technologies:
- It offers electronic transmission and direct prescription through EHR technology.
- It enhances patients’ safety by ensuring more accurate processing and delivery of medical information
- It enables easier monitoring of controlled substances.
- It is often cheaper and more convenient than creating written subscriptions
- It enables two-click refills without the need to call the pharmacy.
- It’s used in more than 10,000 pharmacies.
- It offers easy prescription tracking for doctors to know whether their patient is following the correct treatment plan.
- It alerts physicians about risks related to drug interactions and other potential interactions.
- It offers quick access to any patient’s past prescription record.
- It offers access to insurance information and even alerts providers of possible errors like those related to dosage.
- It offers detailed and very specific information about a patient’s medication to the pharmacist.
With it, pharmacists continue to report improved workflow with less time having to contact providers due to poor handwriting or lack of details on written prescriptions. Insurance companies have also reported savings and improved performance. Electronic prescriptions has efficiently and proactively resolved many of the problems and concerns faced in the past by practitioners, patients, and pharmacists. The emergence of e-Prescription technology has given momentum to a whole new era in the pharmaceutical industry and patient care. More accurate processing and delivery of prescriptions lead to better outcomes for patients and a higher quality of healthcare overall.