Surescripts, the nation’s e-prescription network, today announced study findings from de-identified data that link e-prescribing to a significant increase in first-fill medication adherence. Poor adherence to medication therapy is a large and costly problem in the U.S. The World Health Organization estimates that as many as 50 percent of patients do not adhere fully to their medication treatment(1), leading to 125,000 premature deaths and billions in preventable health care costs(2). The Surescripts analysis suggests that the increase in first-fill medication adherence combined with other e-prescribing benefits could, over the next 10 years, lead to between $140 billion and $240 billion in health care savings and improved health outcomes.
Earlier this year, Surescripts collaborated with pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers on a study to quantify the benefits of e-prescribing. Reviewers analyzed de-identified data sets representing over 40 million prescription records — comparing electronic prescriptions with paper, phoned- and faxed-prescriptions — to measure the impact on first-fill medication adherence.*
The data showed a consistent 10 percent increase in patient first-fill medication adherence (i.e., new prescriptions that were picked up by the patient) among physicians who adopted e-prescribing technology when compared with physicians who did not use e-prescribing. Physicians who adopted e-prescribing used the technology to route up to 40 percent of their prescriptions electronically during the time of the study, and Surescripts estimates that first-fill medication adherence rates will continue to improve as e-prescribing adoption and usage increase.
Want to publish your own articles on DistilINFO Publications?
Send us an email, we will get in touch with you.