Better Actionable Intelligence Means Better Healthcare for All

Surescripts released its 2016 National Progress Report today, revealing substantial network growth, expanded provider connectivity and increased technology adoption—all good signs of progress toward the healthcare industry reaching its “holy grail” of increased quality and patient safety at a lower cost. Here are highlights from this year’s report.

Actionable patient intelligence is taking hold across American healthcare: Better patient intelligence, means better healthcare for all. Progress in 2016 made a big difference in improving healthcare professionals’ access to comprehensive, reliable and real-time information, or “actionable intelligence,” at the point-of-care, and ultimately empowered them to make better-informed healthcare decisions. 

As a nation, we are providing unparalleled actionable intelligence that allows the best-informed care decisions to be made for each and every patient. In 2016, we extended our network to facilitate the prescription decision-making process, to help providers work with patients to achieve the best treatment outcomes, and to connect providers when their patients transition between various points of care. 

Policy decisions, such as those taking aim at the nation’s opioid epidemic are driving technology adoption, behavior change and laying the groundwork for better health outcomes. More than 33,000 Americans died from opioid overdose last yearⁱ. E-prescribing for controlled substances (EPCS), one tool for combatting this growing health crisis, is gaining nationwide momentum, especially in states where mandates have gone or will go into effect. EPCS transaction volume more than doubled year-over-year, as more prescribers leverage the technology. These stats plus other positive indicators tell us we’re on the right track.

Surescripts is proud to lead the industry-wide effort to improving e-prescribing’s accuracy. Our relationship with every facet of healthcare means that we are well positioned to convene the industry to develop best practices. This continued collaboration in conjunction with the recently launched Sentinel™ accuracy monitoring system will help us achieve our ultimate goal of zero-error e-prescribing. This will surely make better quality, value and, most importantly, patient safety our reality. 

We’re nearly halfway through 2017, and there is still a lot of work to do; Rest assured that we’re hard at work, serving the nation with the single most capable and trusted health information network and delivering the actionable intelligence that makes healthcare better for all. We look forward to sharing our continued progress with you. 

Check out the full 2016 National Progress Report as well as our news release. Feel free to share these stories in your social networks and join the conversation with #HITprogress.

ⁱ https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/