Federal incentive payments have aided nationwide growth in the use of electronic prescriptions, according to a report from e-prescribing network operator Surescripts, Healthcare IT News reports.
The report -- titled "The National Progress Report on E-Prescribing and Interoperable Healthcare" -- tracked the status of e-prescribing from 2008 to 2010 (Merrill, Healthcare IT News, 5/12).
Key Findings
The number of new e-prescriptions and replies to pharmacies' electronic renewal requests increased from 191 million in 2009 to more than 326 million in 2010 -- a 72% growth rate -- the report found.
The report noted that:
- About 36% of office-based physicians were sending their prescriptions to the pharmacy electronically by the end of 2010, compared with 26% the prior year;
- About 190,000 physicians were e-prescribing at the end of 2010;
- About one in four prescriptions were electronic by the end of 2010;
- The number of prescription histories electronically delivered to prescribers increased to 230 million in 2010 from 81 million in 2009 (Lowes, Medscape, 5/11); and
- E-prescribing rates are highest among cardiologists -- at 49% -- and family practitioners -- at 47% (Healthcare IT News, 5/12).
Explaining the Growth
Surescripts said two federal incentive programs helped push the growth in e-prescribing:
- The 2009 Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act, which gave physicians a 2% Medicare bonus in 2010 for e-prescribing with approved software; and
- The 2009 economic stimulus package, which includes Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments for health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health records. E-prescribing is one of the meaningful use requirements (Medscape, 5/11).