Report Finds Lack of Rx Drug Documentation in Electronic Health Records at San Francisco VA Facility

Physicians at the San Francisco VA Medical Center did not routinely document prescription drug renewals in electronic health records, according to a new report by the Department of Veterans Affairs' Office of Inspector General. The report found that the facility sometimes used paper prescription drug request forms to document renewal status. However, the forms often were shredded and did not become a part of the patients' EHRs, leading to gaps in care documentation. Bonnie Graham -- director or the facility -- agreed with the report that a lack of proper EHR documentation and workflow issues have been detrimental to patient care. 

• "Poor EHR Habits Lead to Opiate Overdoses, Hazards at VA" (Bresnick, EHR Intelligence, 12/2).
• "VA Doctors Renewed Prescriptions Without Seeing Patients" (Glantz, Center for Investigative Reporting/U-T San Diego, 12/2).