Electronic prescriptions increase patient safety and convenience

ROCKLEDGE, FL - If your doctor is a member of Health First Physicians, you can say good-bye to long waits at the pharmacy for a prescription that your pharmacist may have trouble reading in the first place.

Health First Physicians is now using a new e-prescription process. Instead of writing out prescriptions on a piece of paper, doctors who are part of the Health First Physicians medical group are now directly entering prescriptions into a computer.

The prescription travels directly from the doctor's office to the pharmacy's computer. E-prescriptions are sent via a secure network that protects the patient's privacy.

This new process increases patient safety by ensuring the pharmacist gives out the exact drug ordered by a doctor. The paperless process virtually eliminates mistakes due to illegible handwriting as well as confusion when two drugs share similar names or when the exact dosage may be unclear.

In addition, the e-prescription reaches the pharmacist before the patient leaves the doctor's office, reducing or even eliminating waiting time at the pharmacy.

"This new process is a giant leap forward for our patients' safety and convenience," said William Morgan, MD, president of Health First Physicians. "E-prescriptions are the safest way to ensure that our patients receive exactly what their doctor intended and eliminates that extra trip to the pharmacy to drop off the prescription."

More than 70 percent of community pharmacies in the United States currently accept e-prescriptions, and more are doing so every day. Any patient whose pharmacy does not accept e-prescriptions, or any individual who does not want their prescription sent electronically can still request a paper prescription from a Health First Physicians doctor.

Health First Physicians is a proud member of the Health First Family.