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December 17, 2008

Medicare Urges Doctors To Go Paperless »

Beginning January 2009 the US Medicare system will be offering bonuses to physicians who prescribe medications electronically.  Why the push? The most important reason is patient safety – no more indecipherable handwriting means less risk that your pharmacist will dole out the wrong prescription. Also, e-prescribing sends the prescription instantly, directly to the pharmacy, so scripts do not get lost or stolen. When e-prescribing, computers can remind docs about potential interactions amongst drugs, in addition to helping physicians choose the cheapest drugs which, in the end, saves the patient money. Only about 10 percent of US doctors are actively e-prescribing. This is due, in part, to the cost associated with setting up the necessary technology and apprehension about adopting new technology. However, the benefits are clear. Ever since I personally started e-prescribing, there’s just no going back to paper.

Read more and share your opinion.

 

Posted by Steven / December 17, 2008 2:30 am / Permalink / Comments (4) / Trackbacks (0)