Pharmacy Customers’ Experiences With Electronic Prescriptions: Cross-Sectional Survey on Nationwide Implementation in Finland

One of the forerunners in electronic health, Finland has introduced electronic prescriptions (ePrescriptions) nationwide by law. This has led to significant changes for pharmacy customers. Despite the worldwide ambition to develop ePrescription services, there are few reports of nationally adopted systems and particularly on the experiences of pharmacy customers.  This study therefore looks at patient perspectives in Finland on ePrescriptions.  Overall, Finnish pharmacy customers are satisfied with the recently implemented nationwide ePrescription system. They seldom have any difficulties purchasing medicines, renewing their ePrescriptions, or acting on behalf of someone else at the pharmacy. Customers usually keep up to date with their ePrescriptions by asking at the pharmacy. However, some customers are unaware of the practices or have difficulty keeping up to date with the status of their ePrescriptions. The provision of relevant information and assistance by health care professionals is therefore required to promote customers’ adoption of the ePrescription system.

The article can be viewed here 

Physicians’ Estimates of Electronic Prescribing’s Impact on Patient Safety and Quality of Care

Electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) is a potentially important intervention that can be used to reduce errors. It provides many potential benefits over handwritten medication prescriptions, including standardization, legibility, audit trails, and decision support. Electronic health record (EHR) and e-prescribing systems may greatly enhance communication and improve the quality and safety of care.  This particular study aimed to better understand physicians' perspectives on e-prescribing in Finland.  Physicians’ perceived usefulness of e-prescribing was significantly associated with patient safety and quality of care. The interoperability of an EHR had a significant effect on both the perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of e-prescribing. The findings show that experience with an e-prescribing system has a positive effect on participants’ perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of e-prescribing. This study highlights potential safety and efficiency benefits associated with integrated health information technology in health care. 

The full study can be viewed below.  

E-Prescribing as a Tool to Fight the Opioid Epidemic

Surescripts shares the results of a new initiative in Maine requiring electronic prescribing for opioids.  Use of e-prescribing technology (E-Prescribing for Controlled Substances or EPCS) has greatly increased, demonstrating how legislation can be an important tool for driving technology adoption.  Various benefits of EPCS in regards to the opioid crisis are highlighted.  Tracking prescription helps reveal patterns of use amongst patients and leniency amongst providers.  Security is enhanced by reducing fraud associated with paper or oral prescriptions.  The article emphasizes that EPCS is simply one tool in what is likely to ultimately be a multi-pronged solution to the opioid crisis. 

The full article can be viewed here

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons must demonstrate safe and competent opioid prescribing for acute and postoperative pain in their patients. Responsible prescribing of opioids must be a priority, including accessing the state’s prescription-drug monitoring program as well as educating the patient and family about potential risks – and the safe use, storage and disposal – of opioid analgesics. Because prescribing protocols evolve over time, practitioners also should stay informed of the latest public health trends, including possible alternatives to opioid pain treatment.

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IMPROVING PRACTICE THROUGH RECOMMENDATIONS

CDC’s Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain is intended to improve communication between providers and patients about the risks and benefits of opioid therapy for chronic pain, improve the safety and effectiveness of pain treatment, and reduce the risks associated with long-term opioid therapy, including opioid use disorder and overdose. The Guideline is not intended for patients who are in active cancer treatment, palliative care, or end-of-life care.
 

Executive Summary
 
November 2017
 
The opioid drug problem has reached crisis levels in the United States—in 2015, over 33,000 Americans died of a drug overdose involving opioids. CEA finds that previous estimates of the economic cost of the opioid crisis greatly understate it by undervaluing the most important component of the loss—fatalities resulting from overdoses. This paper estimates the economic cost of these deaths using conventional economic estimates for valuing life routinely used by U.S. Federal agencies. It also adjusts for underreporting of opioids in overdose deaths, includes heroin-related fatalities, and incorporates nonfatal costs of opioid misuse. CEA estimates that in 2015, the economic cost of the opioid crisis was $504.0 billion, or 2.8 percent of GDP that year. This is over six times larger than the most recently estimated economic cost of the epidemic. 
 

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AUTHORS

Jay Chaudhary, JD Managing Attorney & Director of Medical-Legal Partnerships, Indiana Legal Services Adjunct Faculty Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health

Kate Marple, MSc Senior Research Scientist & Director of Communications, National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership

Jillian Bajema Research Assistant, National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership
 

INTRODUCTION

The current opioid epidemic is a public health crisis, devastating urban, suburban, and rural communities across the United States. The problem — rooted both in the overprescribing of prescription opioids as painkillers, and the increased accessibility of cheap heroin and synthetic heroin substitutes — resulted in more than 42,000 opioid overdose-related deaths in 2016.1 At the end of that same year, 2.1 million Americans were living with an opioid-related substance use disorder (SUD)2, and the problem is getting worse daily.

Virginia is experiencing an opioid crisis of overwhelming proportions. At least two Virginians die from prescription opioid and heroin overdoses every day. The Virginia Department of Health reported a 38% increase in deaths from prescription opioid and heroin overdoses between 2012 and 2014.1 Opioid abuse is increasing in Virginia due to high levels of prescription opioid drug supply, lack of understanding of the issue among the public and providers, and limited availability of treatment. Virginia’s Medicaid program spent $26 million on opioid use and misuse in 2013, with $10 million of this spending occurring in Southwest Virginia. More broadly, at least 40,000 adults in Virginia’s Medicaid program have a substance abuse disorder, and over 50% of Medicaid members with serious mental illness also have a substance use disorder.

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The PDMP monitors dispensed drugs that contain controlled dangerous substances (CDS). The goal of the PDMP is to assist medical, pharmacy, and public health professionals in the identification and prevention of prescription drug abuse. It also promotes a balanced use of prescription data that preserves the professional practice of healthcare providers and legitimate access to optimal pharmaceutical care.

The program is overseen by the Maryland Department of Health (MDH), Behavioral Health Administration (BHA).

Following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declaring a national opioid epidemic and Governor Scott claiming the opioid epidemic in Florida a statewide emergency, Florida Blue is introducing prior authorization and supply limits for use of short-acting opioids for your opioid naïve patients. They're making the changes to ensure appropriate use of opioid analgesics for members suffering from chronic pain, and to protect both patients and their families from the risk of opioid abuse, misuse and diversion, while providing continued access to opioid medications when appropriate.