Surescripts: Minnesota achieves highest rate of e-prescribing use in the nation
ARLINGTON, Va. — Surescripts on Tuesday announced that Minnesota achieved the highest rate of e-prescribing use in the nation during 2011 to capture the No. 1 ranking in its seventh annual Safe-Rx Awards. The rankings are determined by an analysis of data that measures electronic prescribing use by physicians, pharmacies and payers in each state.
“In Minnesota, there has been a strong commitment to a common e-prescribing objective by providers, pharmacies and payers statewide who worked collaboratively with the e-Health Initiative,” stated Marty LaVenture, director of office of health information technology and e-health at the Minnesota Department of Health. “We have benefited from the strategic use of assessment data that helped us identify and respond to the gaps and needs associated with e-prescribing. Policy initiatives and grant and loan programs also helped to increase adoption and use for providers and pharmacies in underserved areas of the state.”
Highlights from the seventh annual Safe-Rx Awards and state progress reports included:
Prescribers in Minnesota routed 61% of prescriptions electronically;
Massachusetts and New Hampshire have the highest rates of physician adoption at 86%;
Nine states have more than 70% of physicians electronically routing prescriptions;
North Dakota made the largest gains year over year, boosting its ranking from No. 47 to No. 18;
New Hampshire, Nebraska and Minnesota all made double-digit gains in the ranking based on increased use of e-prescribing, which includes routing, medication history and benefit information; and
Nationally, 91% of retail pharmacies are able to receive e-prescriptions.
Adoption and use statistics for all states and an online discussion of the Safe-Rx rankings are available at Surescripts.com/saferx.