FierceHealthcare writes: While adverse drug events (ADEs) are less likely in patients with diabetes when their doctors practice higher levels of e-prescribing, not all groups of patients are equally served by the practice, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. The researchers examined diabetic patients covered by Medicare Part D, and studied adverse drug events among doctors who use e-prescribing for less than 50 percent of their orders, as well as those who use it for more than 50 percent of prescriptions. The 50 percent cutoff point corresponds to the Meaningful Use Stage 2 electronic health record incentive program’s core requirement. The study furthered previous research by including patients in ambulatory settings, not just hospitals. At its most basic level, e-prescribing presents legible prescriptions to pharmacies, reducing the risk of error. These systems also provide varying degrees of decision support and drug interaction alerts as well, the authors pointed out.
Read more:
- Study supports MU Stage 2 threshold for e-prescribing, Fierce Healthcare
- Meaningful Use Stage 2 E-Prescribing Threshold and Adverse Drug Events in the Medicare Part D Population with Diabetes, Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association