e-prescribing

An e-prescribing capability that allows Alabama Medicaid physicians to electronically send an accurate and easy-to-understand prescription directly to pharmacies is helping the state agency move toward its goal of providing better health care at a lower cost. Based on technology developed by Affiliated Computer Services, Inc., the new capability is part of QTool, a Web-based electronic health record and clinical support tool developed by ACS to support Alabama Medicaid’s initiative to build a statewide electronic health information system. Approximately 150 Medicaid-enrolled physicians are pilot testing QTool in nine Alabama counties: Calhoun, Houston, Lamar, Jefferson, Montgomery, Pickens, Talladega, Tuscaloosa and Winston. E-prescribing allows participating physicians to consult a patient’s medical history, check the agency’s preferred drug list, enter the prescription and securely transmit it to the pharmacy of the patient’s choice. Additionally, e-prescribing provides added protection to patients by displaying key alerts such as Drug Interaction, excessive dose and allergy warnings to notify the physician prior to completing the e-prescription. The patient can then pick up the medicine at the pharmacy without the need for a paper prescription. (Alabama Medicaid Commissioner Carol H. Steckel.)