Leadership of HAP and HFHS Key Contributor to Success

Michigan ranks third in the nation for the use of e-Prescribing, winning the Surescripts’ 2009 Safe-Rx™ Award. Health Alliance Plan and the Southeast Michigan ePrescribing Initiative were cited as key contributors to Michigan’s e-Prescribing success at the Safe-Rx Awards, given each year to the 10 states that transmit the most electronic prescriptions. Please see the SureScript press release.

“Michigan’s successful experience with e-Prescribing is a real-life example of how providers, employers and insurers can dramatically improve patient safety and control health care costs,” said Matthew Walsh, HAP associate vice president of purchaser initiatives. “The measurable results of prescribing over 7.5 million electronic prescriptions have clearly demonstrated improvements in safety, effectiveness, efficiency and patient centeredness.”

The benefits of e-Prescribing impact critical dimensions of health care quality identified in the Institute of Medicine’s 2001 Crossing the Quality Chasm report:

Michigan’s Results from 7.5 Million Electronic Prescriptions:

SAFE: avoid injuries to patients from care that is intended to help

• Reduce rate of drug interactions
• Eliminate legibility issues and subsequent medication errors
• More than 670,000 prescriptions changed or cancelled due to drug interaction warnings
• More than 53,600 prescriptions changed or cancelled due to drug allergy warnings

e-Prescribing has already proved its value to physicians:

• 77 percent of physicians agree that e-Prescribing improves the safety of the care patients receive
• 75 percent of physicians agree that e-Prescribing improves the quality of the care patients receive

EFFICIENT: avoid waste of equipment, supplies and resources

• Eliminate or reduce “paper based” processes in the clinic
• Reduce staff time required for prescription renewal process
• Reduce pharmacy call backs to physician office
• More than 157,000 prescriptions changed/cancelled due to formulary warnings
• More than 60,000 prescriptions generated per week
• 72 percent of physicians reported patient transactions at pharmacies are faster and easier
• More than 70 percent of physicians report fewer phone calls/faxes from pharmacies

EFFECTIVE: avoid underuse and overuse

• Improve ability to track patient medication adherence
• Increase formulary adherence rate
• Increase generic use rate
• HFMG has improved its generic use rate overall from 57 percent to 73 percent
• 85 percent of physicians agree e-Prescribing has improved the practice of medicine at their clinic

PATIENT AND PHYSICIAN CENTERED: providing responsive care

• Eliminates waiting at pharmacies; 70 percent of physicians agree that e-Prescribing improves patient satisfaction

Championed by Detroit’s automobile companies to improve patient safety and reduce prescription drug costs, Health Alliance Plan (HAP) and the Henry Ford Medical Group became Michigan’s incubator for e-Prescribing. The Henry Ford Medical Group is one of the nation’s largest group practices, with 1,000 physicians and researchers in 40 specialties who staff Henry Ford Hospital and Henry Ford medical centers in the Henry Ford Health System.

The success of this health plan-provider collaboration paved the way for HAP to work with leading provider groups to accelerate the adoption of e-Prescribing in Michigan.

HAP used the lessons learned from the HFMG implementation to help independent physicians achieve that same value in less time and with less effort than would have been possible otherwise.

The following Michigan physician groups engaged HAP to guide their e-Prescribing installations: United Physicians (Beaumont), Huron Valley Physicians Association, St. John Health Partners, United Outstanding Physicians (Oakwood) and Medical Advantage Group.

HAP’s partnership with independent physician organizations enhances the health and well being of the entire community. E-Prescribing is not exclusively for HAP members, all patients whose physician use e-Prescribing, other Michigan health plans and employers will benefit from the widespread adoption of e-Prescribing.

The HAP-HFMG experience became the catalyst for e-Prescribing installations through the Southeast Michigan ePrescribing Initiative (SEMI), a coalition involving General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Chrysler LLC, the United Auto Workers (UAW), Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Health Alliance Plan, Henry Ford Medical Group, Medco Health Solutions, Inc. and CVS Caremark Corporation.

Physicians participating in SEMI transmit 90 percent of the electronic prescriptions in Michigan. The physicians use a computer or wireless device to transmit prescription orders and renewals over the Internet directly to retail and mail-order pharmacies.