Physicians using EHRs programmed to list generic prescriptions before brand name prescriptions prescribed generic drugs more often than brand name ones, according to a study in Annals of Internal Medicine.
From June 2011 to September 2012, researchers at four ambulatory clinics in the Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania Health System examined the difference in prescribing behavior for three commonly prescribed classes of medications — beta-blockers, statins and proton-pump inhibitors.
The EHR showed family medication physicians both generic and brand name medication options, but it showed internal medicine physicians just generic medication options, which the physicians could opt out of.
Study results indicated internal medicine physicians — those shown just generic medication options — had a 5.4 percentage point increase in generic prescribing rates for all medications. More specifically, family medicine physicians increase generic prescribing rates of beta-blockers by 10.5 percentage points and of statins by 4 percentage points.
"The results of this study demonstrate that leveraging default options can be a very effective way to change behavior," said Mitesh Patel, MD, MBA, lead study author, in a UPenn news release.
Additionally, Dr. Patel said such an intervention that increases generic prescriptions can help drive down healthcare costs and eliminate unnecessary spending while still providing similar quality and outcomes.
"Not only was changing the default options within the EHR medication prescriber effective at increasing generic medication prescribing, this simple intervention was cost-free and required no additional effort on the part of the physician," said Dr. Patel. "The lessons from this study can be applied to other clinical decision efforts to reduce unnecessary health care spending and improve value for patients."
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