Comments

Health Affairs encourages readers to engage in discussion via comments on our Web site.

• To RESPOND to a particular article: Click on the link "Submit a response to this article" in the box at the top right-hand corner of the article.
• To READ responses to a particular article: Click on the link "View responses" in the box at the top right-hand corner of the article.

Comments to:

Douglas S. Bell and Maria A. Friedman E-Prescribing And The Medicare Modernization Act Of 2003 Health Affairs, September/October 2005; 24(5): 1159-1169. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Reprints & Permissions]

Comments:Submit a response to this article

Comments published:

E-Prescribing Benefits

Sujit S. Sansgiry, Elizabeth Ajuoga,   ( 7 December 2005 )

E-Prescribing Benefits 7 December 2005
Sujit S. Sansgiry, Associate Professor and Director University of Houston (Texas), Elizabeth Ajuoga, Send comment to journal: Re: E-Prescribing Benefits ssansgiry{at}uh.edu Sujit S. Sansgiry, et al.	Douglas S. Bell and Maria A. Friedman have done an excellent job on their article. We concur with their comments and would like to provide three additional benefits of e-prescribing. First, e-prescribing would eliminate or reduce falsification or alteration of prescriptions or prescription records. This could also reduce fraudulent claims to insurance companies for reimbursement of the prescription medication and for required copayments. Second, the technology will facilitate the renewal process from the physician’s point of view [1], thus making prescriptions especially for chronic medications easier to generate. This will save time in the long run for the physicians. However, because physicians work under extremely time-sensitive conditions, the ease of use of the technology is a critical issue for the success of e-prescribing. [2] Third, physicians would have a database of all prescriptions written to evaluate future drug therapy. By incorporating evidence-based clinical guidelines and accompanying decision support, e-prescribing would have a broader vision of potential benefit to the health care system. [2] Such information, which is typically not accessed by physicians, would now be easily applied to “best practices” and help prevent mortality and morbidity. E-prescribing promises to improve quality of care and enhance patient safety by prompting physicians to use recommended standard therapies based on evidence-based medicine and improve clinical outcomes. References 1. P. Kilbrige: E-prescribing: California HealthCare Foundation, November 2001, http://www.primarycaresociety.org/2003b.htm#10 2. H.L. Lipton, R.H. Miller, J.J. Wimbush, “Electronic Prescribing: Ready for the Prime Time?” Journal of Healthcare Information Management 17, no. 4: 72-79