Seventy percent of electronic health record (EHR) systems have adopted electronic prior authorization (ePA), according to new data released by Columbus, Ohio-based CoverMyMeds.
The ePA approach allows physicians and their staffs to request approval from pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and health plans inside their electronic health records.
In an update to the ePA National Adoption Scorecard, it was revealed that since March 2015, the industry achieved a 10-20 percent increase in commitment to ePA functionality across all sectors. Most notably, Cerner, Allscripts and eClinicalWorks announced ePA partnerships, and Epic and Practice Fusion launched live ePA functionality. Overall, the EHR segment achieved a 25 percent increase in live ePA functionality since March 2015.
What’s more, 87 percent of payers have adopted ePA, a 20 percent increase from March 2015; 83 percent of pharmacies are now committed to ePA, a 13 percent increase from March 2015; and 23 states have passed legislation pertaining to prior authorization, with four additional states— Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio and New York—having pending legislation.
“As a pharmacist and advocate for the industry, specifically an advocate for the patient, I have seen the frustration from all parties when a prescription is denied due to cumbersome policies and procedures related to prior authorization," Rebecca Snead, executive vice president and CEO of the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA), which authored the foreword for this release of the report. "My involvement in the ePA National Adoption Scorecard represents my commitment to improving the PA process. My hope is that through education the industry will join us in moving toward 100 percent ePA adoption."
