Medication history data use skyrockets

The Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA) recently released a Surescripts study conducted on the integration and utilization of electronic medication history data technology among ambulatory care providers.

Supplied by pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers, a medication history transaction is obtained electronically through a certified electronic health record (EHR) system, and supplies care providers with a list of the prescription drugs that a patient is currently taking or has taken in the past. Medications history transactions provide caregivers an in depth look into a patient’s medical background, allowing them to make safer, better informed choices during times of high critical care.

The study collected data from 138,000 prescribers in all 50 states, and the District of Columbia, between 2007 and 2013. Surescripts report findings concluded that, over six years, medication history transactions increased by 10,525 percent, or by 842 million new transactions.

Medication history data access is offered at no cost to EHR vendors in ambulatory settings. As it currently stands, the federal government does not offer incentives to providers for utilizing medication history data, which contrasts the MIPPA (2008) and HITECH (2009) Acts, legislation that previously provided financial incentives for e-prescribing and EHR adoption, stated a blog on the Surescripts website.

Even so, without any offered incentives, medication history data IT has grown exponentially and continues to improve the lives of patients nationwide.