Tennessee Electronic Prescription Pilot Project Abstract
In 2007, 27 states received Medicaid Transformation Grants under Section 6081 of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. The grants were rewarded to states that proposed innovative methods which in the end of the two years are designed to produce better health outcomes at lower cost.
The Center for Health Transformation is highlighting states that have received these Medicaid Transformation Grants, and will be following their progress for the next two years. In order for key decisionmakers and industry leaders from around the country to learn from others’ successes, it is our intention to provide this resource in order to showcase innovative practices from across the nation. In the future, this site will be interactive, allowing program directors to submit updates and comments regarding their program.
Click here for the complete grant application>>
Governor Phil Bredesen of Tennessee created the eHealth Advisory Council to advise and support the state as it develops and implements an overall strategy for the adoption of electronic medical technology. Comprised of stakeholder representatives in the health care community across Tennessee the council will guide development of advanced systems.
This pilot project will target primary care providers in small rural counties to allow them to utilize an electronic prescribing system to increase efficiency, patient safety and reduce TennCare pharmacy costs. The program will provide computer technology for selected providers along with training and technical assistance to assure a smooth transition to eprescription technology.
The technology will utilize personal data assistants and/or laptop computers to allow immediate provider access to patient records and provider formularies. The technology will allow direct routing of prescriptions to local pharmacies without the need of handwritten orders. We will target approximately fifty providers in rural counties with above average caseloads.
We believe that the lessons learned from this pilot project can be used to exhibit the advantages of technology in medical care and allow for greater acceptance among the provider community. The project will provide a laboratory for all the involved actors to experience state of the art technology and consider progressive changes in provider – insurer relations, PBM - pharmacy communications and state regulation of medical practice.
Total budget for the project is $674,204 over the two year period. We anticipate a need for one project manager position to coordinate the program operation and outreach to the provider community. Successful implementation of the pilot project could lead to a statewide effort by the eHealth Advisory Council.
