New electronic presciptions could save lives

Medication errors, some of which result in death, could be prevented with a first-in-the-nation statewide initiative announced today by the Iowa Health System.

The organization, which includes St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids, is committing $500,000 in the initiative's first year to implement electronic prescribing in doctor's offices across Iowa.

Iowa Health System is teaming with Chicago-based Allscripts to help doctors implement the technology for free.

The goal of “ePrescribe Iowa” is to convert a majority of Iowa physicians from paper prescriptions to electronic prescribing.

Less than 1,000 of the state's 10,000 doctors prescribe medications electronically, St. Luke's CEO Ted Townsend said.

“Cedar Rapids is well ahead of this curve,” he said, citing small towns and rural areas that are lagging behind. “Across the state, we have a long, long way to go.”

According to an Institute of Medicine study, 1.5 million Americans are injured each year and 7,000 die from medication errors, many of which could be prevented if more doctors switched to electronic prescribing.

Townsend said the 600 or so Iowa Health System doctors already switched to electronic prescribing, beginning in 2003.

The technology is available for free over the Internet, but the problem is in implementing the system, he said.

Under the partnership, Townsend said, Allscripts or Iowa Health System personnel will be available to provide that implementation assistance.

Electronic prescribing helps eliminate errors due to illegible handwriting; creates electronic records to ensure prescription information is not lost; automatically checks for allergies and harmful drug-to-drug interactions, and reduces costs by improving efficiency and identifying less-expensive drug options.

Sen. Swati Dandekar, D-Marion, noted that President Obama has advocated the use of electronic health records to improve health care quality and reduce costs.

The partnership “puts Iowa at the forefront” in leading the country toward that goal, she said.

Medicare is offering a $3,500 incentive to use electronic prescribing, but that changes to a penalty for doctors not using the technology by 2012, said Laurie McGraw, president of strategic accounts for Allscripts.

More than 160,000 doctors in all 50 states use Allscripts' electronic systems, but the Iowa partnership is the first of its kind, she said.

Doctors can use a BlackBerry, iPhone or other mobile system to use e-prescribing.

Dr. Richard Hodge, of St. Luke's Physicians & Clinics Marion Family Medicine, said he was able to get work done while waiting in an airport by using the system.

The e-prescribing program will be delivered in conjunction with HealthNet connect, Iowa Health System's 3,200-mile fiber-optic network.