Evaluation of AHRQ- and CMS-Funded E-Prescribing Pilot Projects
In 2005, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded grants to five pilot sites to test electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) standards. The testing focused on the interoperability of these standards with one another, their ability to delivery messages accurately and unambiguously, and their downstream effect on healthcare outcomes such as medical errors and clinical efficiency. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) National Resource Center for Health IT (NRC) was then charged with compiling an evaluation report which summarizes and synthesizes findings across the pilot projects with the goal of advising the Federal Government on standards adoption and disseminating key data on e-prescribing outcomes among the policy community.
The inability for multiple systems to share information with a standard format and vocabulary has been a hurdle to effective implementation of e-prescribing. To address this situation, the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) directed the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish Federal standards that all e-prescribers must follow for patients enrolled in Part D.
When HHS promulgated rules proposing standards for electronic prescribing, the rules identified three well-accepted standards ready ("foundation" standards) for immediate implementation, and several other areas in which standards are needed. In these areas, HHS proposed six "initial" standards for pilot testing.
The five pilot sites are among the leading experts in the field of e-prescribing: RAND, Ohio KePRO/UHMP, Brigham and Women's Hospital, SureScripts, and Achieve Healthcare. A summary of their results as well as additional analyses and recommendations is included in the following reports.
CMS Report to Congress
As required by the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) produced a summary report for the United States Congress that highlights the key outcomes of the pilot testing collaboration project with AHRQ.
Download the Pilot Testing of Initial Electronic Prescribing Standards report (PDF, 236 Kb; Text Version*)
AHRQ Evaluation Report
The NRC was charged with compiling an evaluation report to summarize and synthesize findings across the pilot projects with the goals of advising the Federal Government on standards adoption and disseminating key data on e-prescribing outcomes among the policy community.
Download the Findings from the Evaluation of E-Prescribing Pilot Sites report (PDF, 2.12 MB; Text Version*)
Individual Pilot Project Reports
Also available are individual reports from each e-prescribing pilot project. Each report describes the results of rigorous standards testing performed by one of the pilot sites. In addition, each report includes results of the pilot project's study of key issues in e-prescribing, such as reduction of adverse drug events, provider uptake (adoption), and potential gains in efficiency and effectiveness.
*This version of the report is formatted for compliance with Section 508 of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
**The Section 508 compliant version of this report will be available soon.
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