EHRs In Pharmacies Open Doors To New Tech Solutions
By Megan Williams, contributing writer
According to EHR Intelligence, pharmacies are pioneering changes in EHR technology that solutions providers might want to keep their eyes on.
The Growth Of Pharma-EHRs
Expansion of EHR technology and the proliferation of onsite clinics have resulted in a jump in the amount of patient data that pharmacies are producing. They’re going beyond just creating data though, and are becoming true innovators in the way EHR information is used.
Walgreens CMO and group vice president, Harry Leider, MD, MBA explains, “We’re now accumulating large amounts of data every month from consumers who are logging their steps, weight, and things such as blood pressure or glucose — either automatically through devices or manually. In return, our consumers receive reward points for these activities. We’re on the cusp of proving the effectiveness this program, called Balance Rewards for health choices, to improve health outcomes.”
A Homegrown IT System
Walgreens developed its own IT system to cater to the specific needs of pharmacists, as opposed to being focused on the needs of clinicians.
“Our IT system was homegrown, Intercom Plus, and designed and enhanced over many years to support the prescription fulfillment process, but it really wasn’t configured to capture robust clinical information. The EHR that we’re now using in our pharmacies enables our pharmacists to record data about the important services they are providing: like blood pressure tests and immunizations. They can capture much more clinical information that is of value to clinicians in the community or to our own pharmacists and nurse practitioners. This also enables us to do more outcomes studies to evaluate the effectiveness and value of our clinical programs.”
A Return To The Past
With the growth of health information exchanges, the data that comes out of pharmacies will become even more important, very likely increasing the importance of pharmacists in the healthcare environment. Leider believes that this shift will actually bring the industry back around to a period similar to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when pharmacists often held roles that were more important to patients than doctors.
Walgreens is positioning to take advantage of this shift, and the technologies and approaches to care delivery that come with it. This includes moves that are taking pharmacists out of their familiar environment behind the counter and making them more accessible with tools that help them counsel patients on medications and healthy lifestyles.