New Ingenix CareTracker EMR E-prescribing Features Help Physicians Improve Drug Safety, Increase Cost Transparency for Patients

Eden Prairie, Minn., - October 5, 2009 - Ingenix today announced that it has expanded the electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) capabilities of its CareTrackerTM EMR solution. The new e-prescribing features are Surescripts® certified and allow physicians to access their patients' prescription histories and drug benefit information as part of an electronic health record. E-prescribing with CareTracker EMR helps physicians reduce the chance of adverse drug reactions, inform patients of the expected costs for prescriptions and determine patient eligibility for comparable, lower-cost medication options.

E-prescribing allows physicians to transmit orders for prescription medications directly to pharmacies electronically - improving accuracy, efficiency and convenience for patients. In 2008, over 68 million prescriptions were routed electronically, according to Surescripts, the largest nationwide e-prescribing network.  

With Ingenix CareTracker EMR, physicians can:

  • Transmit prescriptions directly to their patients' preferred pharmacy accurately and quickly
  • Maintain and review a patient's allergy and prescription use history at the point of care
  • Check for drug-to-drug and drug-to-allergy interactions to avoid potential adverse effects
  • Reconcile current orders with past prescriptions to avoid medication errors such as omissions, duplications and dosing errors
  • Access patient prescription benefit information to pre-determine eligibility for specific medications and estimate the cost to the patient

"E-prescribing with CareTracker EMR has eliminated nearly all paperwork related to prescription orders, and has saved our office an immeasurable amount of time," said Douglas Foreman, D.O., a family practice physician in Warwick, Rhode Island who has used CareTracker EMR since 2007. "Accessing patient charts instantly when writing an online prescription assures me that I am making the best possible decisions for my patients."

"Doctors who use CareTracker EMR can view historical prescription records from an array of new sources, as well as data that enables them to determine, at the point of care, what the patient's out-of-pocket costs will be," said Russ Keene, vice president at Ingenix. "Patients and doctors win with this kind of decision support as it promotes safety and cost transparency."

To obtain Surescripts certification, CareTracker EMR met rigorous standards for patient safety, efficiency of the e-prescribing processes, and ease of use. Moreover, Surescripts certification enables CareTracker EMR to connect instantly with every major pharmacy in the U.S. and the nation's leading Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) programs.

Ingenix CareTracker EMR is a leading web-based electronic health record solution that fully integrates with all the operational functions of a physician practice. Ingenix CareTracker offers three modules to support physician practice operations: Ingenix CareTracker PM optimizes administrative workflows for physician practices; Ingenix CareTracker EMR helps clinicians enter, retrieve and correlate patient information at the point of care; and Ingenix CareTracker Services improves revenue cycle management with comprehensive billing and accounts receivable support. For more information, visit www.ingenix.com/caretracker.

About Ingenix
Ingenix, a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company, transforms organizations and improves health care through information and technology. Organizations rely on its innovative products, services and consulting to improve the delivery and operations of their business. More information about Ingenix can be obtained at www.ingenix.com.

About Surescripts
Surescripts is the result of a 2008 merger between the country's two leading health information networks: RxHub and Surescripts. Surescripts gives healthcare providers secure, electronic access to prescription and health information that can save their patients' lives, improve efficiency and reduce the cost of healthcare for all. Available during emergencies or routine care, the Surescripts network connects prescribers in all 50 states through their choice of e-prescribing software to the nation's leading payers, chain pharmacies and independent pharmacies. Through its work in standards, certification, education and collaboration at the national, regional and state levels, Surescripts and its network have become the backbone that facilitates e-prescribing. For more information, go to www.surescripts.com.