Dr. Chris Galassi, Discharge 1-2-3™s CEO and Product Director, and Kathy Davis, Sr. Product Manager for Allscripts ePrescribe, presented on ePrescription Research and Usage in Allscripts ED at the Allscripts Client Experience (ACE) conference in Chicago on Thursday, August 14. Discharge 1-2-3 recently integrated Allscripts ePrescribe into its Composer software, and the new version–Composer eRx– will be available to Allscripts ED hospitals later this year.
Galassi chronicled the growth and benefits of eprescription and demonstrated how eprescribe will function within Discharge 1-2-3’s Composer software, while Davis detailed the regulatory requirements for electronic prescribing for controlled substances (EPCS).
In 2013, according to Surescripts, 58% of eligible prescriptions in the US were routed electronically, representing a 32% increase in volume over the previous year. This rapid adoption took place because eprescription is now a Meaningful Use measure for both hospitals and professionals. ePrescription drug overdose surpassed traffic deaths as the leading cause of preventable death in 2011, and two out of three prescription errors are caused by illegible handwriting, misunderstood abbreviations, and unclear dosages. Prescription fraud continues to be a substantial problem despite efforts to create tamper proof prescription materials.
ePrescribing reduces medication errors:
- More than 1.5 million patients injured annually by drug errors.
- One study estimated that each preventable adverse drug event (ADE) that took place in a hospital added about $8,750 to costs.
- Handwritten prescriptions are often difficult to read, requiring pharmacy callback for clarification.
The benefits of eprescribing are now well-known and include:
Improved patient safety – fewer ADEs.
- Increased efficiency – less time wasted clarifying prescriptions.
- Better medication adherence – promotes appropriate drug usage.
- Cost savings – fewer preventable ADEs and improved throughput.
Finally, Galassi demonstrated how Discharge 1-2-3’s Composer seamlessly integrated Allscripts ePrescribe into the Allscripts ED workflow.
If you would like more information about Composer eRx, please contact us info@discharge123.com.
Thanks,
Hugh Martin
Discharge 1-2-3
hmartin@discharge123.com
