[MMA NEWS NOW, July 22, 2010] A recent survey found that Minnesota clinics still have a ways to go to comply with the state’s mandate that all prescriptions be filled electronically by 2011.

The survey found that 61 percent of Minnesota clinics are using an electronic system to prescribe medications. The results were part of a statewide health information technology adoption survey that was conducted for the first time this year.

The information seems to indicate that not all clinics will meet the e-prescribing mandate that Minnesota passed in 2009, which requires all licensed providers – except long term care facilities – to prescribe medications electronically by January 1, 2011.

The survey was conducted in early 2010 by Minnesota Community Measurement as part of the Minnesota Department of Health Statewide Quality Reporting and Measurement Initiative.

Jim Chase, executive director of Minnesota Community Measurement, said he would like to see universal adoption of e-prescribing because it improves patient outcomes. 

“The evidence seems to indicate that patients are better off with e-prescribing in place, but I’m not to worried about our current level of adoption because we’ve made progress, and I think we will see more adoption during the next year,” Chase said.

The survey inventoried the health information adoption rates for about 1,000 clinic sites in the state. The Minnesota Department of Health recently released a guide for providers trying to comply with Minnesota’s e-prescribing mandate. The guide says that at this time there are no penalties of fines for clinics who fail to comply with the mandate.

The federal government is also pushing e-prescribing by offering clinics that e-prescribe bonus payments in 2011.

EHR results
The survey also tried to assess how many clinics have electronic health records and how many are using them in a meaningful way.

The survey found that nearly all doctor offices intend to install an electronic health record and that about two thirds of practices have already done so. As for using them, 62 percent of clinics use their EHR for lab and test results, 44 percent use their EHR for labs and tracking patient’s health problems and doctors’ orders, and 36 percent use their systems for the above functions, as well as for generating preventive care reminders for patients.

As for the ability of Minnesota clinics to exchange data with hospitals, about 32 percent can send data to hospitals inside their own network and only 12 percent of clinics can send data to hospitals outside of their network.

Patients and physicians can find individual clinic results at http://www.mnhealthscores.org.