Lacking Medication History Data Has Big Costs for Hospitals

In a time of EHRs, e-prescribing, and cloud-based storage, patient medication history is not always available in clinical workflows.

Fractured data from multiple sources, inconsistent terminology between systems, and time-consuming manual entries hinder medication reconciliation. Providers are frustrated, patients are at risk of preventable adverse drug events (ADEs), and hospitals are responsible for readmissions.

Colin Banas, M.D., M.H.A. Chief Medical Officer of DrFirst

Problems start early, or “upstream,” in the medication reconciliation process, with 85% of inpatient medication errors originating from information collected during admission. The challenges continue flowing “downstream” after discharge as providers lose sight of patient adherence to medication regimens. This non-adherence—and the preventable readmissions it can cause—is estimated to cost the U.S. healthcare system $290 billion per year, according to the 2019 Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology.

A new infographic explores how the process inefficiencies and errors jeopardize patient safety in adverse drug events and hospital finances. See The Downstream Effects of Fractured Medication Data, then ask us at DrFirst how we can minimize medication history gaps to reduce ADEs and readmissions at your organization.

Colin Banas, M.D., M.H.A. Chief Medical Officer

Colin is an Internal Medicine Hospitalist and former Chief Medical Information Officer at VCU Health System in Richmond, Virginia. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia, his M.D. from Eastern Virginia Medical School, and a master’s in Healthcare Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University. In 2017, Colin received the HIMSS-AMDIS award for Physician Executive of the Year from his peers. Colin is currently the Chief Medical Officer at DrFirst.