Massachusetts hospitals could prevent 55,000 dangerous medication errors every year and save $170 million annually if they implement computerized physician order entry, according to a study unveiled Feb. 14 by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and the New England Healthcare Institute.
The study was based on a review of 4,200 medical charts at six community hospitals in the state. According to the study report, Saving Lives, Saving Money: The Imperative for Computerized Physician Order Entry in Massachusetts Hospitals, it found that, on average, one in every 10 patients admitted to those hospitals suffered a preventable medication injury such as a severe allergic reaction or dangerous interaction among medications.
These errors could be substantially avoided by implementing computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems, according to the report. The systems could cut the preventable error rate by 70 percent and save each community hospital $2.7 million annually by reducing error rates, shortening lengths of hospital stay, and curtailing unnecessary drug tests and laboratory use. Download the report.
