Cerner announced a new collaboration with Surescripts to integrate real-time prescription benefit functionality into its Cerner Millennium EHR.

The companies said that including the Surescripts Real-Time Prescription Benefit into the EHR’s physician workflow will provide patient-specific prescriptions at the point of care.

[Also: Digital Bridge collaboration with Cerner, Epic, CDC and others hope to connect EHRs to public health]

When doctors can access patient-specific prescription pricing as a part of their workflow, it makes for a better medical decision between the doctor and the patient, Surescripts Chief Product Officer Mike Prittis said in a statement. It’s also a huge step toward improving medical adherence, he added. Moreover, it sparks engagement between doctor and patient.

Cerner Millennium provides prescription price transparency by extracting information from pharmacy benefit managers.

[Also: Surescripts to showcase prescription price transparency at HIMSS18]

Having that functionality embedded in the EHR makes it easier for doctor and patient to work as a team to create a medical plan that patients can afford and follow, Cerner President Zane Burke added. 

Cerner expects to have the new functionality online in March 2018.

Twitter: @Bernie_HITN
Email the writer: bernie.monegain@himssmedia.com