Contents:

TABLE OF CONTENTS ACTION POINTS 6 Outline of the brief 6 Key things you need to know about electronic prescribing 6 Further evaluation of the UK’s electronic transmission of prescription pilots is needed before a common model and national operating standards for ePrescribing in the UK can be fully defined 7 Voluntary adoption of electronic prescribing continues to be a barrier to widespread implementation of electronic prescribing technologies among physicians in the US. Failure to mandate nationwide adoption of a common ePrescribing platform creates inconsistencies among technologies in use, and provides little incentive for physicians to invest in the process changes necessary to achieve adoption in the near future 7 Rather than focus on reaching physicians at-the-point of care through ePrescribing platforms, pharmaceutical companies should invest in marketing strategies that optimize consumer choice and highlight the safety and efficacy of their drugs 9 Introduction 10 The traditional prescribing model and its limitations 12 The number of mistakes made in the paper-based prescribing process is too high 14 The paper-based prescribing process is too slow 17 The paper-based prescribing process is too complex 19 The evolution of ePrescribing solutions 26 Benefits of adopting electronic prescribing technologies 27 Challenges to the adoption of electronic prescribing technologies 28 Driving the adoption of ePrescribing in the US and European markets 30 Early adopters of electronic prescribing – lessons learned from the UK pilots 33 Electronic prescribing in the rest of Europe 39 Adopting electronic prescribing in a privatized healthcare system– challenges in the US market 40 Stakeholders in the adoption of electronic prescribing 45 Beyond improving patient safety, stakeholders are primarily concerned with either reducing the cost or increasing the speed of the current prescribing process 45 The impact of electronic prescribing technology on the pharmaceutical industry 47 THE FUTURE DECODED 49 Outlook for the electronic prescribing market 49 Current use of electronic prescribing technologies 49 End-user impact on electronic prescribing adoption 51 Opportunities for pharmaceutical companies to play a role in the adoption of electronic prescribing in the US and Europe 53 Barriers to using ePrescribing technologies as a marketing tool 53 Partnering with electronic prescribing technology vendors 54 Re-evaluating sales and marketing goals 54 Conclusion 56 APPENDIX 57 List of figures 57 References 58 Relevant links 58 Research methodology 59 Consumer Insight Survey 2004 59 Physician Insight Survey 2004 59 How to contact experts in your industry 61