DETROIT, March 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Six years ago,
before smartphones were a veritable cornerstone of daily life, a
few hundred physicians in Southeast
Michigan joined an initiative to begin using similar
handheld devices in an effort to more safely and efficiently
prescribe medications for their patients.
Today, the Steering Committee of the Southeast Michigan ePrescribing Initiative
(SEMI) reports that more than 7,500 physicians in the area are
actively prescribing in the program – a 33 percent increase from a
year ago – and have submitted more than 40 million electronic
prescriptions since the program began in 2005. Due to this
success, SEMI will continue supporting physicians in the practice
of ePrescribing for a seventh consecutive year to ensure optimal
use of ePrescribing and to maximize the quality and safety benefits
as well as the cost savings they provide.
"In 2005, this diverse group of stakeholders came together for
the common goal of improving the safety and efficiency of
prescribing for physicians and patients. We created SEMI to
help advance the implementation of clinical technology in the
physician office setting starting with ePrescribing, and each year,
we are encouraged and excited to see that the program is making a
profound and positive impact on our health care system," said
Marsha Manning, Manager, Health Care
Plans, General Motors. "While we are making great strides, we
still have more work to do to insure that ePrescribing is
optimized. We look forward to harnessing the momentum we have
with SEMI to achieve this important goal."
SEMI was launched in 2005 to promote ePrescribing among
physicians in Southeast Michigan.
The coalition includes: General Motors, Ford Motor Company,
Chrysler Group LLC, the UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust,
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Health Alliance Plan, Henry Ford
Medical Group, Medco Health Solutions, Inc., CVS Caremark
Corporation and Catalyst Rx.
SEMI provides doctors with training and a support system to help
integrate ePrescribing into their practice – two obstacles
routinely cited by doctors who choose paper prescriptions over
electronic prescriptions.
"SEMI's growth and success over the past six years is a
testament to the design of the program, which balances support and
training with a physician's own investment in the technology.
This formula is working, and is a win for patients, physicians and
payors," said John Driscoll,
President, New Markets at Medco and Co-Chair of the Board of
Directors at SureScripts. "With the requirements and incentives to
use electronic prescribing in the Medicare Part D legislation and
the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, doctors need
programs like SEMI more than ever to help them make ePrescribing
the standard of care."
Since July 2011 electronic
prescription volume among physicians in SEMI routinely surpasses 1
million each month. An analysis conducted in December 2011 on a sample of 23 million
prescriptions written by SEMI physicians since the program began
also found:
- A severe or moderate drug-to-drug alert was sent to physicians
for more than 6.2 million prescriptions, resulting in 1.8
million (or 28 percent) of those prescriptions being changed or
canceled by the prescribing doctor;
- Physicians received nearly 923,000 medication allergy alerts,
resulting in more than 250,000 (or 27 percent) of those
prescriptions being changed or canceled by the prescribing
doctor;
- 8.2 million lists of dispensed prescription histories
were downloaded by physicians; and
- When a formulary alert was presented, physicians changed the
prescription to comply with formulary requirements 28 percent of
the time.
"My colleague and I use ePrescribing for nearly all of the
medications we prescribe for our patients, and it has significantly
reduced the time we spend writing prescriptions. We spend less time
on phone calls related to the medications we prescribe, and it has
made it easier for our office staff to manage refills for our
patients," said Dr. Kevin Frankel, a
family practitioner in Oakland Southfield Physicians, PC, and SEMI
participant. "This technology also helps us better understand
what our patients are taking, and if they are using their
medications properly and as often as they should, which leads to
better care and fewer errors –both of which are valuable features
for our busy practice."
About SEMI
Launched in early 2005, the Southeast
Michigan ePrescribing Initiative is one of the largest
ePrescribing efforts in the United
States. Its primary objectives are to boost adoption and use
of ePrescribing, and measure the impact of ePrescribing technology
on improving patient safety and reducing prescription drug costs.
For more information, go to www.semi-eprescribing.com.
About GM
General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce
vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions
in the world's largest and fastest-growing automotive
markets. GM's brands include Chevrolet and Cadillac, as well
as Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and
Wuling. More information on the company and its subsidiaries,
including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and
information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.
About Ford
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in
Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or
distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 164,000
employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company's automotive
brands include Ford and Lincoln.
The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit
Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products
worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.
About Chrysler Group LLC
Chrysler Group LLC, formed in 2009 to establish a global
strategic alliance with Fiat S.p.A., produces Chrysler, Jeep,
Dodge, Ram, Mopar, SRT and Fiat vehicles and products. With the
resources, technology and worldwide distribution network required
to compete on a global scale, the alliance builds on Chrysler
Group's culture of innovation, first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925, and Fiat's
complementary technology that dates back to its founding in
1899.
Headquartered in Auburn Hills,
Mich., Chrysler Group's product lineup features some of the
world's most recognizable vehicles, including the Chrysler 300 and
Town & Country, Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Durango, Ram 1500, Jeep
Grand Cherokee SRT8 and Fiat 500. Fiat contributes world-class
technology, platforms and powertrains for small- and medium-size
cars, allowing Chrysler Group to offer an expanded product line
including environmentally friendly vehicles.
About the UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust
The UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust (the 'Trust') is a
Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association established under the
2007 Settlement Agreements between the General Motors/Ford/Chrysler
and the UAW. Launched in January
2010, the Trust administers health care benefits to over
800,000 members through the operation of three separate trust funds
for respective retirees of each automotive company; making it the
largest non-governmental purchaser of retiree health care in
the United States.
About HAP
Health Alliance Plan (HAP) is a Michigan-based, nonprofit health plan that
provides health coverage to more than 648,000 members and companies
of all sizes. For more than 50 years, HAP has partnered with
leading doctors and hospitals, employers and community
organizations to improve the health and well-being of the lives we
touch. HAP offers a product portfolio with six distinct product
lines: Group Insured Commercial, Individual, Medicare, Medicaid,
Self-Funded and Network Leasing. HAP excels in delivering
award-winning preventive services, disease management and wellness
programs, and personalized customer service. The National Committee
for Quality Assurance awarded HAP's commercial HMO and HAP Senior
Plus Excellent Accreditation.
About Henry Ford Medical Group
The Henry Ford Medical Group is one of the nation's largest
group practices, with 1,200 physicians and researchers in more than
40 specialties who staff Henry Ford Hospital and 30 Henry Ford
medical centers in Southeast
Michigan. It is part of Henry Ford Health System
(http://www.henryford.com/), one of the country's leading health
care systems, that integrates primary and specialty care with
research and education.
About Blue Cross Blue Shield
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit
organization, provides and administers health benefits to nearly
4.3 million members residing in Michigan in addition to members of
Michigan-headquartered groups who
reside outside the state. BCBSM also offers dental, vision and
hearing plans. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are nonprofit
corporations and independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue
Shield Association. For more company information, visit
bcbsm.com.
About CVS Caremark
CVS Caremark is the largest pharmacy health care provider in
the United States with integrated
offerings across the entire spectrum of pharmacy care. We are a
pharmacy innovation company, uniquely positioned to engage plan
members in behaviors that improve their health and to lower overall
health care costs for health plans, plan sponsors and their
members. CVS Caremark is a market leader in mail order pharmacy,
retail pharmacy, specialty pharmacy, and retail clinics, and is a
leading provider of Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans. As one
of the country's largest pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs), we
provide access to a network of more than 65,000 pharmacies,
including more than 7,300 CVS/pharmacy® stores that provide
unparalleled service and capabilities. Our clinical offerings
include our signature Pharmacy Advisor™ program as well as
innovative generic step therapy and genetic benefit management
programs that promote more cost effective and healthier behaviors
and improve health care outcomes.
General information about CVS Caremark is available through the
Company's website at http://info.cvscaremark.com.
About Medco
Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MHS) is pioneering the
world's most advanced pharmacy® and its clinical research
and innovations are part of Medco making medicine smarter™
for millions of Americans.
With more than 20,000 employees dedicated to improving patient
health and reducing costs for a wide range of public and private
sector clients, and 2011 revenues of $70
billion, Medco ranks 34th on the 2011 Fortune 500 list and
is named among the world's most innovative, most admired and most
trustworthy companies.
For more information, go to http://www.medcohealth.com.
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as that
term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that may
cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the
statements. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and
actual results may differ materially from those projected. We
undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking
statement, whether as a result of new information, future events,
or otherwise. Forward-looking statements in this press release
should be evaluated together with the risks and uncertainties that
affect our business, particularly those mentioned in the Risk
Factors section of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and
Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
SOURCE SEMI