CHICAGO – The first group of physicians participating in the Illinois E-Rx Collaborative and DrFirst’s e-prescribing initiative has begun writing prescriptions electronically.
The initiative’s funding model is distinguished by two major components. Seed money will be used to install the base of physicians, and transaction fees paid by one or more health plans will become seed money for new physicians and cover the cost of their technology.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL), which has the largest market share of any health plan in the state, is sponsoring the launch of the first 500 physicians, said Stan Borg, MD, CMO for BCBSIL. The health plan will pay Zix and DrFirst to provide licenses, systems, hardware and training.
“Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois has taken a very hands-on approach to this initiative,” said G. Cameron Deemer, president of DrFirst, who said BCBSIL sent its own provider relations staff to go with DrFirst to physicians’ offices. “This made a tremendous impact on adoption. We have gotten off to a very fast start.”
DrFirst is talking with other health plans interested in providing seed money and covering the transaction fees. The other national carriers in the state are Humana and UnitedHealthcare.
“In terms of the program goals, we want three payers participating to share in this broad-based initiative,” said Deemer.
One of the project’s goals is to be a multi-payer program, giving physicians a choice in what technology to use that will best adapt to their workflow.
Collaboration has also been a key component. “We built a collaborative upfront with all stakeholders from the healthcare industry,” said Borg. “We are working for the common good.”
The Center for Information Technology Leadership notes that the use of e-prescribing systems with a network connection to pharmacies and advanced decision-support functionality could help prevent 130,000 life-threatening medication errors annually.
The Institute of Medicine, in its July 2006 report, “Preventing Medication Errors,” recommends that e-prescribing be implemented by prescribers and pharmacies by 2010.
The rollout of the initial launch of 500 participating physicians in Illinois should be completed by the end of June. Borg anticipates statewide saturation among physician within two years.