More than one-third of meaningful use stage 1 requirements deal with medication management. Achieving meaningful use and meeting these requirements has the potential to drastically reduce adverse drug events and help recoup up to 22 percent of the cost of the electronic health record system and related IT, according to a study in the American Journal of Managed Care.
Researchers analyzed data from the Florida State Inpatient Database, the American Hospital Association Healthcare IT Database Supplement to the 2010 Annual Survey of Hospitals and Hospital Compare, focusing on frequencies of adverse drug events and meaningful use attestation status.
Results showed the odds of a patient experiencing an adverse drug event were 63 percent lower in hospitals that adopted all five core medication-related meaningful use requirements, a result that was consistent regardless of overall hospital quality as reported in Hospital Compare. Researchers estimated the average cost saving for each adverse drug event avoided to be $4,790, or $267 million per year for all hospitals. Using AHA data that suggests Florida hospitals spend $19,378 per bed per year on IT costs, researchers determined achieving meaningful use and the five core medication requirements would help hospitals recoup 22 percent of their IT costs.
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