Knowledge Base

Introducing e-prescribing to patients is important, as well as communicating its benefits and implications. Some patients may express initial reluctance in response to a new system, but prescribers can make patients more comfortable by explaining how e-prescribing works and its benefits to patients, providers and pharmacies.

In the initial phases, it's important for you and your practice staff to educate and reinforce the benefits of e-prescribing with your patients. Talking points include:

• Fast - E-prescribing allows you to electronically send prescriptions directly to the patient's choice of pharmacy. The prescription travels from your computer to the pharmacy's computer before the patient leaves the exam room, giving that prescription a head start. However, this does not necessarily mean that the prescription will be at the pharmacy when the patient arrives. Patients should leave a few hours between their visit and the trip to the pharmacy to pick up their prescriptions.
• Convenient - The patient no longer has to make an additional trip to the pharmacy to drop off his or her prescriptions.
• Safe and Secure - Prescription information is not sent over the open Internet and is not sent via e-mail. E-prescriptions are sent electronically through a private, secure and closed network - the Surescripts network.
• Legible - The staff in the pharmacy no longer has to spend time interpreting handwriting or dealing with blurry faxes.
• Informed - The availability of formulary information from health plans allows for a choice of medications that are more affordable, and e-prescribing allows drug-to-drug interaction checking and allergy-drug interaction checking for safer choices.