Chemotherapy Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Chemotherapy, including details on cancer treatment, side effects, drugs.

E-Prescribing collaboration in Massachusetts: early experiences from regional prescribing projects.

Halamka J, Aranow M, Ascenzo C, Bates DW, Berry K, Debor G, Fefferman J, Glaser J, Heinold J, Stanley J, Stone DL, Sullivan TE, Tripathi M, Wilkinson B

CareGroup Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School, 1135 Tremont Street, 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA. jhalamka@caregroup.harvard.edu

Massachusetts payers and providers have encouraged clinician usage of e-Prescribing technology to improve patient safety, enhance office practice efficiencies, and reduce medical costs. This report describes three early pilot e-Prescribing projects as case studies. These projects identified the e-Prescribing needs of clinicians, illustrated key issues that made implementation difficult, and clarified the impact of various types of functionality. The authors identified ten key barriers: (1) previous negative technology experiences, (2) initial and long-term cost, (3) lost productivity, (4) competing priorities, (5) change management issues, (6) interoperability limitations, (7) information technology (IT) requirements, (8) standards limitations, (9) waiting for an "all-in-one solution," and (10) confusion about competing product offerings including hospital/Integrated Delivery System (IDN)-sponsored projects. In Massachusetts, regional projects have helped to address these barriers, and e-Prescribing activities are accelerating rapidly within the state.

Published 3 May 2006 in J Am Med Inform Assoc, 13(3): 239-44.
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