5 Risks of Paper Prescriptions
A recent consumer survey revealed that half of Americans who got prescriptions during the COVID-19 pandemic said their doctors mailed them a paper prescription, or phoned or faxed it to the pharmacy. Despite the fact that most practices have converted their paper-based patient records into a digital format, many providers are still using paper scripts. Here are five ways paper prescriptions can put your practice and patients at risk.
1. Noncompliance with state and federal mandates.
Many states require electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS) and use of prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMP) to prevent abuse, fraud, and diversion of opioids and other highly addictive medications. As of January 1, 2021, the SUPPORT Act requires all controlled substance prescriptions under Medicare’s Part D drug plan to be transmitted electronically. While penalties for noncompliance will not be enforced until 2022, you can avoid violating state or federal law by taking steps now to adopt an e-prescribing solution that includes PDMP checks within your prescribing workflow. Doing so will also help identify patients who may be susceptible to becoming addicted to potentially dangerous medications or who are abusing the system.
2. Errors due to manual entry and readability.
Physicians aren’t known for their penmanship, and illegible handwriting and unclear abbreviations on paper prescriptions can compromise patient safety. When prescriptions are phoned or faxed, there’s a risk of pharmacy staff incorrectly entering the orders.
3. Lack of allergy and drug interaction alerts.
When you use e-prescribing within your electronic health records (EHR), alerts can warn of a new prescription’s potential interaction with other medications the patient is taking. Within seconds, patient records from hospitals, pharmacies, insurance, and other physicians are available to help prevent a drug interaction or allergy that could lead to an adverse drug event (ADE). Writing a prescription on paper offers no such protections.
4. Lower medication adherence.
Patients often misplace paper prescriptions or put off bringing them to the pharmacy to be filled. In fact, one-fourth of all prescriptions are never picked up. When patients don’t adhere to their medication regimen, the negative impacts include poor health outcomes, additional illnesses, avoidable hospital admissions, and billions in unnecessary healthcare expenditures each year. E-prescribing helps avoid prescription abandonment and medication nonadherence with reminder tools that notify patients when medications are prescribed and when they are ready for pickup.
5. Unsatisfied patients.
In today’s digital world, patients expect quick and convenient healthcare practices that mirror consumer experiences. Keeping track of appointments, referrals, lab orders, and prescriptions on paper is a nuisance for patients who are accustomed to using apps and receiving notifications on their smartphones and tablets to organize their personal lives. Low patient engagement can negatively affect your practice, as well as your patients’ health.
You can avoid the risks of paper prescriptions by switching to e-prescribing. The free iPrescribe mobile app lets you send prescriptions in seconds, even without access to a laptop or needing to remotely connect to your EHR. Validate your identity and enroll in minutes, automatically load your patients, and view six months of medication history and real-time co-pay information.