SureScripts is collaborating with the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, Humana, Intel, and the Medical Group Management Association to launch The Center for Improving Medication Management.

Technology can be used to improve the safe use of medications, and there is a need for improvement in this area. According to studies cited in a recent report by the National Council on Patient Information and Education, only 50% of Americans typically take their medications as prescribed.

The center will initiate programs to gather and disseminate best practices for deploying technology that electronically links physicians, pharmacists, and patients. Research will be conducted that details how technology can be used and information exchanged to improve the way medications are prescribed, filled, used, and managed. Discussions are being held with the RAND Corporation to develop a project that would demonstrate how certain features of e-prescribing and electronic medical records impact medication safety, use, and labor costs.

“Our main goals in this project would be to understand how the technical features of e-prescribing systems can facilitate more organized prescription handling between physician offices and pharmacies to result in more successful use of e-prescribing, and, ultimately, better outcomes for patients,” says Douglas Bell, a research scientist for RAND.