Minnesotans lead nation in use of e-prescribing

E-prescribing has caught on big in Minnesota. Doctors there had the highest rate of e-prescribing use in 2011, according to the seventh annual "Safe-Rx Awards" survey from the e-prescribing service Surescripts.

The survey measures prescription routing, use of benefit information, and use of medication history among physicians, pharmacies, and third-party payers in each state. Data for each category are weighted and blended to come up with an overall ranking.

The survey showed that, in 2011, 61% of eligible prescriptions in Minnesota were routed electronically, compared with 37% in 2010; 88% of patient visits involved an electronically transmitted prescription benefit request, compared with 48% in 2010; and 25% of patient visits included a medication history response, compared with 10% in 2010.

"Minnesota has made impressive gains in the adoption and use of all three components of e-prescribing," Harry Totonis, president and chief executive officer of Surescripts, said in a statement.