Low rates of medication compliance lead to poor treatment outcomes and higher costs across the entire healthcare system. The problem is one of the most significant issues facing chronic disease treatment. However, some experts believe that electronic health records may be able to address low medication adherence.

A story in the Wall Street Journal recently cited evidence suggesting that medication noncompliance costs the U.S. up to $290 billion in avoidable spending each year. People with chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes in particular suffer poor health from not taking their prescriptions.

However, medical professionals told the news source that EHR systems enable them to track whether or not a patient has filled or picked up a prescription. Additionally, the technology allows doctors to see if a patient's health is getting better or worse over time. This allows them to make recommendations to patients that may increase their compliance.

A recent study published in the Journal of Applied Research showed that 125,000 individuals with treatable conditions die each year because they do not take their medications as prescribed. Many of these individuals simply never fill their prescriptions. EHR systems may help doctors spot these potentially dangerous situations.