HHS Study Finds Computerized Prescribing Systems Could Cut Hospital Drug Errors By Two-Thirds

A new report by the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research has found that using computers to prescribe drugs could cut medication errors by more than two-thirds, the AP/Arizona Republic reports. According to the report, released yesterday, "[r]egular computer tracking" of prescription dosages could reduce errors by 28% to 95%, and "putting prescriptions into a computer system in the first place has the potential to prevent up to 84% of dosage mistakes." The AP/Republic reports that the Defense Department, with 170 veterans' hospitals, is currently the "chief user" of computers, but only about 5% of civilian hospitals are investing in such systems. It would cost between $1 million and $2 million for a 200-bed facility for a "start-up" computer system. Susan Comfort, a spokesperson for HHS, said, "It's costly, but look at what the benefits are" (AP/Arizona Republic, 4/12). The report estimated that medication errors cost between $1.56 billion and $5.6 billion in "extra" expenses -- usually from treatment a patient requires after a medical mistake (AP/Richmond Times-Dispatch, 4/12). To view live webcasts of two sessions from this week's National Committee for Quality Health Care annual conference, "Zero Errors: A New Paradigm for Patient Safety," go to http://www.kaisernetwork.org/healthcast/ncqhc/april01.