E-Prescriptions Now Available in All 50 States
The national electronic prescription drug network now extends to all 50 states thanks to this month’s addition of the last holdout, Alaska. After some initial hesitation, Alaskan officials decided to follow suit with West Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia who joined the voluntary federal program earlier this year.
Some physicians and smaller pharmacies had expressed concerns about the additional cost of high speed internet service and specialized software required to use the system, but most seemed pleased about Alaska’s decision to join the program. Proponents of the network point out that electronic prescriptions reduce errors caused by illegible writing, provide improved access to patient information throughout the US, and help combat the problem of prescription forgeries.
The Drug Enforcement Agency still prohibits some prescriptions, like OxyContin, from being transmitted electronically, but most can be transmitted using the new system.
As more providers enter the national network, demand for efficient ways to manage the electronic prescription process grows. Providers can already choose from a wide variety of software packages designed to manage their electronic prescription and electronic medical record programs including Allscripts‘ (NASDAQ: MDRX) eRxNOW and ePhysician. In addition, other medical support services like SureScripts’ Pharmacy Health Information Exchange have started marketing products to help resolve compatibility issues between differing prescription softwares.
To find out more about what the public and private sectors are doing to accelerate the adoption of information technology initiatives in the healthcare arena, check out this information from the American Health Information Community.
Source: abc news
Related Links: eHealthInitiative.org; marketwire; Memphis Business Journal
Related Podcast: Healthcare, Computers, and the Bottom Line from E-Commerce Times
tags: electronic health records; Department of Health and Human Services
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