Surescripts expands prescription accuracy technology
Surescripts, a health information network, has expanded its Sig IQ technology, first introduced for Medication History in 2022, to E-Prescribing transactions, including NewRx and both RxRenewal Requests and Responses, to continue improving patient safety and increasing clinician efficiency at scale.
Surescripts Sig IQ technology translates free-text patient directions into a quality-controlled, clinically validated format or Structured & Codified Sig. This helps reduce uncertainty around prescription medication instructions, meaning prescribers can approve requests in fewer keystrokes, while also minimizing the risk of patient harm and preventing delays in patient care, the company explained.
In 2024, Surescripts delivered 4.1 billion S&C Sigs in Medication History transactions for Sig IQ-enabled customers. This is more than twice as many compared to 2023, which totaled 1.9 billion S&G Sigs returned.
Sig IQ augmented more than 2 million RxRenewal transactions in the first 6 months following its release in late 2023.
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Surescripts Medication History with Sig IQ has made a significant and immediate impact on clinical review and continues to expand across the Surescripts Network Alliance alleviating potential patient harm, the company said.
“Since introducing Sig IQ capabilities for Medication History in 2022, we’ve expanded it to electronic prescribing transactions to truly enable this technology to deliver impact at scale, improving patient safety and overall efficiency across the Surescripts network,” said Frank Harvey, CEO for Surescripts. “Alleviating administrative tasks that slow down the prescribing process paired with prioritizing medication safety is how Surescripts innovations are easing the burdens facing prescribers and pharmacists. It’s a reminder that together, we’re going places and simpler, trusted health intelligence sharing takes us there.”
Surescripts Sig IQ technology addresses the uncertainty for clinicians and patients and additional administrative work that is often required to verify prescriber intent given that there are 832 ways to convey the most common patient medication direction of ‘take 1 tablet by mouth once daily.’ With 1.5 million emergency department visits each year stemming from adverse drug events, enabling standardized patient instructions for medications may help alleviate preventable instances of potential patient harm, Surescripts said.
“From our roots in e-prescribing forward, Surescripts has been innovating on a massive, systemic scale for over two decades—helping patient information flow securely and seamlessly across the entire network,” said Tara Dragert, chief product officer for Surescripts. “Our Sig IQ technology is another example of how we are always innovating to make an impact, improving patient safety by advancing electronic prescription accuracy while removing friction in the workflow and delivering a more complete view of the patient.”
Surescripts Sig IQ technology ensures that the free text patient instructions included by the prescriber, or Sig, are formatted and adhere to the NCPDP standards, using enhanced logic to identify opportunities to improve data quality or provide additional insights as the electronic prescribing transaction passes through the network.
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This reduces potential transcription errors by allowing for the components of the Sig (such as route of administration) to be interpreted by every receiving system in the same way and helps alleviate administrative tasks that slow down the prescribing process.
For example, in ambulatory care, a structured and codified Sig field in an e-prescription can help clarify what a quantity of 30 caplets for a 30-day supply once daily really means – ensuring the prescriber’s intent is clear, whether the medication should be taken in the morning, night, with or without food, for a special indication or an off-label use, Surescripts noted.