Many healthcare organizations and clinics are facing the challenge of medication reconciliation. An inefficient reconciliation process can put the safety and lives of patients at risk due to the inaccurate capturing of patients’ medication history. When a provider uses incorrect information, it can lead to medication errors. This, in turn, increases the expenses and risks for both patients and the organization. This is where an excellent e-prescribe system can help. Organizations can use these tools to manage the medication history data of patients. 

This article will help you get insight into inaccurate medication history data. Along with this, we will discuss the importance of collecting medication history data. 

Effect of Incomplete Medication History Data in Healthcare Organizations 

Many Healthcare organizations are utilizing cloud-based storage systems in an attempt to optimize their prescribing process. However, still find themselves dealing with inaccurate medication history data. Data from multiple sources can hinder the reconciliation process. This inaccuracy can affect both patients and organizations. Meaning, patients have to deal with the harmful effects of prescriptions and organizations have to bear responsibility for readmissions. The information provided during the admission time can lead to severe issues. This can be highly costly to patients’ health and healthcare revenue. 

Importance of Collecting Medication History Data 

Medication histories play a vital role in the prevention of prescription errors. It can also eliminate the risk to patients’ health. This is a good way to understand drug-related pathology. Healthcare organizations should have a fully managed history of patients’ drugs. This data should enlist the current and recent prescribed drugs. As per a recent survey, 16% of prescription faults can lead to harmful effects on patients. Here are a few more reasons why healthcare providers should prioritize accurate medication history. 

1. It can help in future treatment planning. Doctors will know the medicines that were prescribed to the patients. Also, they will see how the prescribed drugs affect patients’ health. 
2. The drugs given should be adequately written on the data. Drugs should be constantly monitored. The reason is that they can cause illness or disease. Accurate medication history data will help healthcare providers to know better. 
3. This is a way to educate patients about their health conditions. 
4. A great technique to eliminate the consequences related to inaccurate information. 
5. Prevents the fault during medicine prescribing. 

Healthcare providers should use technology to help better the patient service. 

Importance of Medication Reconciliation 

It’s important to not overlook the importance of medication reconciliation. It might be the primary concern for most organizations. But there is still a large margin of error related to incorrect data. Patient recognition isn’t enough to know the patient’s current and previous medicines. Poor data examination can lead to medication errors and adverse drug events. 

Here are a few more reasons why medication reconciliation is essential for healthcare providers: 

1. Inconsistent Medication Reconciliation 

Medication reconciliation differs from one organization to another. Some organizations use evidence-based approaches to reconcile meditations. Alternatively, others take some other technique to handle the same. The phone calls to get information about a patient’s history are often neglected. Sometimes it is obtained late, and other times often rushed. This, in turn, leads to inaccurate information and highly affects the safety of patients. Possible readmissions are the result of rush and negligence. 

2. Time Shortage Affects Safety 

Patients count on healthcare providers to give their best when it comes to their care. Though many healthcare providers prioritize the safety of patients, some providers fall short due to time shortage. As per a recent study, clinicians spend less than 15 minutes during appointments. This means the patient and the doctor won’t correctly interact. And this leads to inaccurate medication history data. Extra stress should be given to patients with complex medications. They should be thoroughly examined for better assistance. This can be done with the help of software to perform medication reconciliation. 

3. Vital to Prevent Readmissions 

Suppose a patient has a severe problem and visits a doctor. The doctor will examine the patient and prescribe the necessary medicine. However, this can increase the chances of readmissions. How? When a doctor prescribes new medications without knowing the previous ones, it can lead to severe patient health issues. To overcome such risk hazards, doctors should opt for proper measures. This, in turn, will assist them in performing medication reconciliation efficiently. 

4. Creates Opportunity to Discuss Medication Adherence 

In some cases, even when clinics maintain accurate data on their patient’s health history, health risks can arise when patients aren’t taking their medication as prescribed. A recent study shows that 1 out of 2 patients miss their recommended medications. This can result in adverse outcomes and serious health issues. It’s essential to educate patients regarding their symptoms and the possible effects of missing medication doses. Once properly educated, they’re better geared with the information needed to improve their health. This, in turn, will allow doctors to best help their patients and even consider patient-specific solutions to achieve health goals. 

5. Eliminate the Data Gap

For any clinic, it’s good to connect EHR to other facilities. This will help the providers to assist patients in a better way. Missing data can lead to severe issues with the patient’s health. The gap between the EHR and other faculties can lead to potential problems. This is where a thorough medication reconciliation can help. 

Summary

Inaccurate medication history data can be costly towards the patients’ health, doctor’s ability to accurately prescribe treatment plans, and the healthcare revenue cycle. Partnering with the right e-prescribing software can help to eliminate those issues. NewCrop’s eRX software allows for interaction checking, all-provider patient history, and many other features making the prescribing process easier, quicker, and safer.

Over 200 EHRs and 40,000 doctors have chosen NewCrop for their e-prescribing needs including navigating the complexities of Electronic Prescriptions for Controlled Substances (EPCS). NewCrop can be leveraged in connection with an EHR or as a standalone service.

Schedule a demo today to see for yourself how a partnership with NewCrop can make your organization more effective and efficient. Or contact us for more information.