Health IT Research & Analysis
Datasets

Electronic Prescribing Adoption and Use by State

Date Range

December, 2008 – April, 2014

Last Updated

June 2014

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Electronic prescribing (eRx) is a key component of the meaningful use of health IT to improve health care quality and lower costs. This dataset includes national and state eRx and health information exchange activity by community pharmacies and office-based health care providers active through the Surescripts Network. Surescripts is a health information network, and ONC procured electronic prescribing activity data conducted within its network from December 2008 through April 2014. The Surescripts network is used by the majority of all U.S. community pharmacies to rout prescriptions, excluding closed systems such as Kaiser Permanente. These include chain, franchise, and independently owned pharmacies. Data for annual percentages of new and renewal prescriptions routed through the Surescripts network exclude controlled substances. You may view more information about Surescripts, contact the company, and access more network data through the company’s official site.

Data FieldData Description
regionRegion // The region name for the data. This includes all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
region_codeRegion Code // The abbreviation code for the region name. This includes all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
periodTime Period // Time period for the data. The first four digits correspond to the year of the data, and any other digits refer to the month of the data, beginning with “01”/January and ending with “12”/December.
tot_e_RxTotal e-Prescribers on the Surescripts Network // The total number of health care providers actively e-prescribing on the Surescripts Network. This total includes providers in the following specialities or occupations: cardiovascular disease, chiropractor, dentist/oral surgeon, dermatology, endocrinology/metabolism, family practitioner, gastroenterology, general practitioners, general surgery, internist, nephrology, neurology, non-alleo osteopaths, obstetrics/gynecology, oncology/hematology, ophthamology, optometry, orthopedic surgery, pediatrics, specialist, surgeon, otolaryngology, podiatry, psychiatrist, psychology, and urology. This total also includes nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
tot_e_Rx_thru_ehrTotal e-Prescribers Prescribing through an EHR and on the Surescripts Network // The total number of health care providers actively e-prescribing through an EHR on the Surescripts Network. This comprises a portion of the total number of health care providers actively e-prescribing on the Surescripts Network.
tot_e_Rx_thru_stand_aloneTotal e-Prescribers Prescribing through a Stand Alone System and on the Surescripts Network // The total number of health care providers actively e-prescribing through an stand alone system and on the Surescripts Network. This comprises a portion of the total number of health care providers actively e-prescribing on the Surescripts Network.
tot_primary_care_e_RxTotal Primary Care Providers e-Prescribing on the Surescripts Network // The total number of primary care health care providers actively e-prescribing on the Surescripts Network. Primary care providers include any provider in the following specialties: adolescent medicine, pediatrics, family practice, general practice, geriatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics, or gynecology.
tot_non_primary_care_e_RxTotal Non-primary Care Providers e-Prescribing on the Surescripts Network // The total number of non-primary care health care providers actively e-prescribing on the Surescripts Network. Non-primary care providers include any provider not in the following specialties: adolescent medicine, pediatrics, family practice, general practice, geriatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics, or gynecology.
tot_nurse_prac_e_RxTotal Nurse Practitioners e-Prescribing on the Surescripts Network // The total number of nurse practitioners actively e-prescribing on the Surescripts Network.
tot_phys_asst_e_RxTotal Physician Assistants e-Prescribing on the Surescripts Network // The total number of physician assistants actively e-prescribing on the Surescripts Network.
pct_new_renewal_e_RxPercent of New and Renewal Prescriptions Processed on the Surescripts Network // The proportion of all new and renewal prescriptions sent electronically on the Surescripts Network.
tot_med_hist_reqsTotal Medication History Requests on Surescripts Network // The number of requests for an electronic record of a patient’s 12-month medication history made on the Surescripts Network.
tot_med_hist_req_respsTotal Medication History Request Responses on Surescripts Network // The number of responses to requests for an electronic record of a patient’s 12-month medication history made on the Surescripts Network.
pct_pharm_enabledPercent of Retail Community Pharmacies Enabled on the Surescripts Network // The proportion of all retail community pharmacies within the Surescripts Network activated to receive electronic prescriptions.
pct_pharm_e_RxPercent of Retail Community Pharmacies Actively e-Prescribing on the Surescripts Network // The proportion of all retail community pharmacies within the Surescripts Network that electronically sent or received any new prescription, refill request, or refill response.

See the Surescripts company website for more information on how network data is collected and prepared for dissemination and analysis.