Awards Announced to States with Highest Rates of e-Prescribing

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Posted By: Roberta Mullin August 3, 2012

7th Annual Safe-Rx Awards to States for e-Prescribing

Surescripts operates the nation’s largest health information network and that network supports the most comprehensive ecosystem of healthcare organizations nationwide. Their e-prescribing services support moving from paper prescriptions to electronic transactions. For the last seven years now, SureScripts has been recognizing States for their “leadership and exceptional commitment to advancing health care safety, efficiency and quality through the use of e-prescribing”.

The Safe-Rx Awards are given to the top 10 States with the highest rates of e-prescribing and use of all of the services including Prescription Benefit, Medication History and Prescription Routing. (See award criteria) Along with the top 10 they also recognize the most improved State overall. Congratulations to Minnesota for top honors and North Dakota as most improved State overall.

Top 10

  1. Minnesota – not even in the top 10 last year moves up 10 ranks to be crowned number 1 with over 8,000 Physicians actively e-prescribing and close to 900 enabled Pharmacies.
  2. Massachusetts – After 5 years of number one they are edged out by MN. And their overall network has over 73% of patients with available prescription benefit and history information.
  3. South Dakota – Moving up from last year’s number seven spot, this State showed increases in medication history, prescription routing, and benefit information use.
  4. Delaware – A regular in the top 5 from the beginning, it has over 1200 Physicians actively e-prescribing and 172 enabled Pharmacies.
  5. New Hampshire – Breaking into this year’s top 10 for the first time, NH boasts one of two States with the most percent of active Physicians at 86%.
  6. Iowa – Staying in the top 10 but moving up 2 spots, they have more than 80% of physicians actively e-prescribing.
  7. North Carolina – A 5 time top 10er, this State has almost 70% of Physician’s e-prescribing and almost 70% of patients with available prescription benefit or history information in the network.
  8. Maine – This is the highest rank yet for ME. They have 62% active Physicians and 46% of prescriptions were routed electronically.
  9. Vermont – Another small State with big numbers. 73% of physicians e-prescribe while over 78% of the patients with available prescription benefit and history information.
  10. Michigan – Rounding out the top 10, is a six time awardee. They credit their success from the 2005 Southeast Michigan e-prescribing Initiative.

Check out how your State ranks.