California Doctors to Get Wired in State's Largest e-Prescribing Initiative
CalPERS PRESS RELEASE, SACRAMENTO, CA – The State of California’s efforts to move into the age of wired health care received a shot in the arm today as the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) joined with Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, and Medco Health Solutions, Inc., to launch the state’s largest electronic prescribing (e-Prescribing) initiative to date.
The pilot program will use input from participating physicians to determine the best ways to employ e-Prescribing technology in their practices and facilitate use by all prescribers. Program organizers will track results, such as the number of identified preventable adverse drug events, use of e-Prescribing, and generic drug and formulary prescribing rates. The program will continue through December 2009 with results to be reported in 2010.
“The evidence supports the thesis that e-Prescribing improves patient safety, enhances the quality of patient care, and reduces cost to the physician, the health plan and the patient,” said Priya Mathur, Chair of the CalPERS Health Benefits Committee. “Our goal with this pilot project is to protect our members’ safety, while accelerating the acceptance and adoption of e-Prescribing by the physicians who serve them.”
About e-Prescribing
e-Prescribing uses an automated data entry system (such as a desktop computer, handheld device or personal computer tablet) in the physician’s office to electronically submit a prescription directly to the patient’s pharmacy of choice. e-Prescribing gives physicians real-time access to important safety and prescription coverage information so they can make more informed prescribing decisions.
“We are pleased to partner with our health plans and participating physician groups on a technology solution that could enhance patient care, reduce medication errors, and improve health outcomes,” said Gregory Franklin, Assistant Executive Officer of CalPERS Health Benefits Branch. “By giving doctors the ability to electronically send an accurate, understandable, and secure prescription directly to the pharmacy, e-Prescribing virtually eliminates the danger of a patient getting the wrong drug or a different medication with a similar name because someone misinterpreted a doctor’s handwriting.”
Participating Physician Groups
The physician groups volunteering for this pilot include: Hill Physicians Medical Group, John Muir Physician Network, PrimeCare Medical Network Inc./North American Medical Management of California, San Jose Medical Group, and Santé Community Physicians.
Following are statements of support from representatives of the physician groups participating in the pilot:
“In the beginning, it took time to get used to, but after about a month, my staff became comfortable with the system, and now the benefits of e-Prescribing are apparent. I can send prescriptions to local pharmacies or mail-order pharmacies, and I’m alerted to potential drug-drug interactions and allergies. I can also select the best medication for my patients based on their insurance plan.”
Dr. Alvin Sockolov, a family practitioner in Sacramento with the Hill Physicians Medical Group
“Electronic Prescribing improves patient safety, eliminates calls from the pharmacist to clarify a handwritten prescription, and makes ordering refills easy. In addition to protecting the patient, e-Prescribing can save the patient money. e-Prescribing systems also give information on which drugs are less expensive for patients during the prescription issuing process.”
Michael P. Kern, M.D., John Muir Physician Network
“We are excited about being approached to participate in the CalPERS e-Prescribing initiative, as it fits in with our own quality program focused on decreasing medication errors, improving generic utilization, and most importantly, it is consistent with our overall physician e-Connectivity strategy.”
Dr. Rod St. Clair, Chief Medical Officer, PrimeCare Medical Network, Inc./North American Medical Management of California
“San Jose Medical Group is excited to accept the invitation to participate in this e-Prescribing initiative. Our physicians believe that e-Prescribing offers opportunities to reduce medication errors, lower prescription costs, and add convenience for our patients.”
Dr. Dean Didech, Chief Medical Officer, San Jose Medical Group
“e-Prescribing is about safety and convenience for patients – it assures that a patient’s doctor is aware of any potential harmful interactions between a new prescription and the medicines the patient is already taking, and that the medication being prescribed is covered by the patient’s health plan. In short, e-Prescribing is about getting the right medicine to the right patient as quickly and safely as possible.”
Daniel Bluestone, M.D., Medical Director, Santé Community Physicians
Pilot Program Scope
The scope of the CalPERS e-Prescribing Pilot Program includes working with several physician groups that serve CalPERS members in addition to other patients in the community. The two health plans, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of California, will each work with the pilot medical groups and their chosen e-Prescribing vendors to address barriers to e-Prescribing. Medco Health Solutions is providing project management resources for the pilot program. All participating physician groups will use e-Prescribing software that meets Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements for privacy and security. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of California will work with each pilot medical group to facilitate the adoption of e-Prescribing.
CalPERS is the nation’s largest public pension fund with $184 billion in market assets. It provides retirement benefits to more than 1.6 million State, school and local public employees, retirees and their families, and health benefits to nearly 1.3 million members. For more on CalPERS, visit www.calpers.ca.gov.