Quest Diagnostics is excited to present this article, reprinted with permission from Rachel Petersen, Manager of Production Innovation, for Surescripts^®.

Prescribers often feel pressure to see many patients during the day. There may not be time for more than a short conversation with the patient, let alone to find missing (or misremembered) medication history. However, the history often exists electronically.

Most prescribers and staff can get medication history—in their electronic health record (EHR) software, at the point of care—and it’s more than just a static list of medications.

A nonprofit research institute that serves vulnerable populations shared 2 patient scenarios where a technician used medication history solutions, powered by Surescripts directly with the EHR, during admissions to find missing information.

All it took was a few clicks of the mouse.

1. Language barrier, defeated

The patient, who didn’t speak English, was admitted to the hospital without an active medication list. She could explain why she had been prescribed her medications but could not share any more about them. The technician used Surescripts Medication History for Reconciliation to pull the patient’s history directly into the EHR for the care team to see and act on.

2. A brief hunt for proper dosing

The newly admitted patient could not recall the doses for his medications when he arrived at the hospital. Again, using Medication History for Reconciliation, the technician pulled an up-to-date medication history and confirmed the proper dosing. There was no need to spend time on the phone with outside pharmacies and prescribers to stitch the information together.

Innovation (and optimization) for a complete picture

Patients should not be expected to remember the fine details of their medication history—and the correct dosing for those medications—when the information already exists electronically and can be pulled into the EHR.

Medication History solutions provide a more complete and accurate view of a patient’s medication history, with data supplied by pharmacy benefit managers and pharmacies covering more than 99% of all patients.

Enhancements like these can help reduce administrative burden on prescribers, pharmacies and staff—and create a better experience for patients.

Quanum Electronic Health Record (EHR) can help connect care providers, increase medication adherence, and provide medication history to bring patient insights into focus. Contact us via email to learn more.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of Quest Diagnostics^®, or any of its employees.