How Medication History and ePrescribing Improve Patient Care

By: Robert McDermott, President and Chief Executive Officer, iCoreConnect

In healthcare, many processes have remained the same for years because, initially, they were the only processes available. For instance, the processes around prescribing medications remained the same for decades, even as available drug therapies grew exponentially. Thankfully, healthcare technology and software are finally catching up to pharmaceutical advancements, and ePrescribing software is helping improve efficiency and patient safety.

In the same way reference books provide information about medications, prescription histories are an essential part of understanding your patients and what’s best for them. The right ePrescription software not only simplifies your prescribing workflow with built-in medication reference info but also connects you directly to the patient’s complete medication history.

How Medication History Impacts Patient Care And Patient Outcomes

In the U.S. alone, 7-9000 people die per year due to medication errors and significantly more have negative interactions which don’t require hospitalization but still impact their wellbeing. Medication errors are a significant problem–but they’re preventable. With a complete understanding of prescription history, as well as gathering information on supplements, vitamins, OTC medications, and past adverse drug events (ADE), prescribers can assess which drug therapies will best suit their patients, treat ongoing conditions, or alleviate current symptoms.

The best chance a prescriber has to get a full view of a patient’s history to impact their future health and well-being is to understand the prescriptions and medications they have taken and their efficacy. Further, full transparency is necessary to assess current medications and which drug therapies are best suited for individual patients. Without that information, outcomes are, at best, unpredictable, and at worst dangerous.

How Cloud ePrescription Software Can Help Provide A Full Medication History

Cloud-based electronic prescribing software can bring needed resources into one accessible place for accurate, efficient prescription writing. Cloud software is accessible wherever you need to use it, even outside the office. Look for a specialized, yet easy to navigate, ePrescribing option with built-in feature sets that include access to a patient's overall prescription history accessed through the national pharmacy database. This information helps fill in the gaps where a patient can’t recall what meds they’ve taken and/or when they took them.

Now, take that medication history access and combine it with direct access to the state prescription drug monitoring program (PMP/PDMP) for controlled substance prescription history and you have one of the most reliable and comprehensive prescribing tools at your disposal.

The goal of ePrescribing is to simplify the prescription process for prescribers and patients alike, removing barriers to access and adherence. Choosing what’s right for your patients can be as simple as choosing ePrescription software that provides prescription history and PMP access.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Robert McDermott is President and Chief Executive Officer of iCoreConnect, an awardwinning provider of secure cloud-based communications and productivity software for high compliance industries, most notably in dentistry.

During McDermott’s first six months on the job, he met with more than 2,000 dental and medical professionals around the country. Every one of iCoreConnect’s cloud-based services, from our practice management software and HIPAA-compliant email to our ePrescription tool, are designed on the input of those practicing doctors.

Because of McDermott's commitment to the customer and product excellence, iCoreConnect was named one of the United States’ Top 10 Encryption Providers by Enterprise Security Magazine. iCoreExchange, the company’s HIPAA-compliant email, was named one of Dental Products Report’s Top 50 Products. Additionally, iCoreConnect was honored as a Top 10 Dental Solution by Healthcare Tech Outlook.

ODA endorses iCoreRx Cloud ePrescribing software from iCoreConnect. In addition to other robust features, iCoreRx provides you immediate access to the pharmacy database of medication prescription history as well as direct access to your state PMP. With such complete information, you can write the most accurate prescription for your patient and avoid medication errors. Book your demo at iCoreConnect.com/OK10 or call 888.810.7706. ODA member discounts available.