Electronic health records may help ensure diabetics fill prescriptions

People who buy Actos to treat their diabetes may be more likely to follow through prescribed treatments when they are treated at an integrated healthcare system using electronic health records, according to a new study.

Researchers from the Kaiser Permanente Foundation that just 13 percent of diabetes patients in these settings failed to fill their prescription. Previous studies have shown that patients treated in traditional paper-based practices generally fail to fill their prescriptions at a rate of over 20 percent.

"Given that adherence to medications is directly associated with improved clinical outcomes, higher quality of life, and lower health care costs across many chronic conditions, it is important to examine why some people never start the medications their doctors prescribe," said Marsha Raebel, who led the study.

She added that when a physician is able to electronically send the prescription to the pharmacy, it eliminates one step in the process of fill a prescription for patients. Now it will be important to figure out ways to ensure that more patients actually pick up their medications from the pharmacy.