In order to improve patient safety and efficiency, XYZ Hospital recently implemented a clinical provider order entry (CPOE) system. One of the functions of the CPOE system is to notify physicians of any problems at the time that an order is entered. Days after the CPOE system was implemented, Dr. Smith ordered medication X for a patient named Mary Johnson. Immediately, the CPOE came back with a message stating that medication X was contraindicated (not recommended) for patients on medication Y and that Mary was taking medication Y. Dr. Smith realized that he had almost ordered a medication that could have significantly harmed Mary. The immediate availability of this information via the CPOE allowed him to cancel the order of medication X and order medication Z instead. Mary received the appropriate medication in a timely manner, quickly improved, and was discharged from the hospital in two days.