Paper vs. Electronic: 72% of Americans Want Physicians to Use Mobile E-Prescribing Tools
What We Should Know:
– A new e-prescription survey of 1,004 U.S. consumers, ages 18 and over conducted by Propeller Insights on behalf of DrFirst in December 2020 shows that despite the industry’s claim of widespread adoption of e-prescribing (EPCS), many doctors continue to write paper prescriptions. The survey found that 53% of Americans say some of their prescriptions are still sent to the pharmacy by phone, fax, or paper.
– They also often wait days for even urgently needed medications, as the survey revealed 72% of Americans say their doctors still provide paper prescriptions for controlled substances. The survey also reveals that nearly three-quarters (72%) of Americans want their doctor to use a mobile e-prescribing tool when away from the office.
Left: Credit: Caitlin-Marie Miner Ong The quote I like to cite is that we advanced 10 years in telehealth progress in the course of 10 weeks, and it s pretty accurate, Colin Banas, MD, chief medical officer of health care software company DrFirst, which helps connect patients to health care providers, tells
Health. I think a lot of this would have taken a lot longer had it not been for the crisis.
Telemedicine is clearly a hit with patients. In April, 44% of Medicare primary care visits were done via telehealth, compared with less than one percent (0.1%) in February before the COVID-19 public health emergency, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. Both rural and urban counties nationwide saw upticks in telehealth adoption and usage, and even after Medicare resumed in-person primary care visits last May, demand for telehealth stayed steady. One 2020 report from the health care network Do