Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Stages Of An Electronic Prescribing System

By Roberte Z. Smallwide


It is easier to prescribe medications and the amount of errors when doing so is greatly reduced with the introduction of electronic prescribing. Because doctor practices and pharmacies can get medications to patients in a much smaller amount of time, these systems are becoming more and more popular. In order for the system to run successfully and with only a few errors, there are three main components that make it up. The system is made up of the doctor that recommends the medication, the transaction hub, and the pharmacy where the medication is dispensed.

The doctor will make a recommendation for medicine after performing an examination on the patient, and as the prescriber they will enter this medication into the system. The prescriber will choose a drug for the patient to take after they have cautiously reviewed the patient's condition and medical file. Utilizing the electronic prescribing system, the prescriber will search for the patient's file by name, date of birth, and other identifying data. After the doctor has located the file and confirmed that it is the correct one, they can update this record to include the new medication.

Once the prescription has been submitted by the prescriber, it will go to the transaction hub. The medical records for that patient are then verified against all other records for that patient in the main user index. Any medications that could possibly have negative interactions on the patient will be identified here. The final authorization for the medication is made by the doctor after they have reviewed the information.

After the prescriber has authorized the prescription through the transaction hub, the prescription is sent to the pharmacist to be completed. Once the prescription is received, the pharmacy can communicate back and forth with the prescriber if there are any concerns or to give a verification that it was received. The final person to look for drug interactions and ensure that it is safe is the pharmacist. The pharmacist can then contact the prescriber if they notice any errors or issues with the medication.

Many agencies are moving to include electronic health record systems in medical practices because of the efficiency and effectiveness of the electronic prescribing system. The prescribing system only works if the doctor's office has this type of system and the computers can communicate with each other. With electronic prescriptions instead of hand written ones, there are fewer mistakes and patients will get faster and better care.

Medical practices can save time and concentrate on the care of the patient more with the electronic prescribing program which is why many offices are currently used them. Because doctors and pharmacists can talk in a quick and simple manner, patients are able to acquire their medicines more quickly. By adhering to the chain of events from the prescriber to the transaction hub to the pharmacist, the patients are able to receive the best treatment possible.




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