E-prescribing tools raise reliability concerns

E-prescribing technologies are gaining ground in doctors' offices and hospitals, but are hampered by gaps in the systems and worries about reliability, industry experts told the Information Exchange workgroup.

E-prescribing is included as a component of electronic health record (EHR) systems in recent regulations from the Health and Human Services Department. HHS is distributing at least $17 billion in incentive payments to doctors and hospitals who buy and meaningfully use such systems. Benefits include more legible prescriptions, helpful reminder systems and better documentation of medications. However, e-prescribing currently has many limitations, including gaps in reliability when hub networks are down that temporarily prohibit electronic transfer of the prescriptions