Measure:
More than 30 percent of all unique patients with at least one medication in their medication list seen by the eligible professional have at least one medication order entered using CPOE.
Clinical Importance
In using CPOE for medications, orders are incorporated with patient information, such as other prescriptions and lab results, which can be automatically checked for potential errors or problems. This real-time cross-check improves optimal drug selection and reduces errors at the time of ordering. This is a safer and more effective way to order medications than using prescription pads or paper forms. It reduces the chance of selecting medications for which the patient has a known allergy, or drugs that are off-formulary for their health plan. Additionally, the medication information is updated in the patient’s medical record and easily available for follow-up visits.
Lessons from the Field
Field service consultants have learned how important it is for a practice to identify and utilize “super users,” providers or staff who are able to move through the EHR quickly and can share helpful hints, tips, and techniques. Super users can also provide additional shoulder-to-shoulder training to assist their co-workers and peers in becoming more efficient users of their EHR. Also, clearly demonstrating the connection between orders that are entered and how they are then used (e.g., to trigger alerts, bring up BPAs or order sets) can help providers understand why the initial challenge of entering the order is worthwhile and how it can positively impact care delivery, resulting in a higher degree of CPOE compliance.