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Medicare to Pay Bonuses for 'E-Prescribing'
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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 The new bonuses for e-prescribing will be on top of those paid as part of the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative and other Medicare reimbursements. Medicare expects to save up to $156 million over the life of the e-prescribing program in fewer adverse drug events.
Despite the advantages of e-prescribing, barriers to implementing such systems remain. One of the largest barriers is the cost.
"It is fairly costly for a small practice to begin to change over to e-prescribing," Dr. James King, a family physician in Tennessee and president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, said during the teleconference. "These incentives will help."
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It's estimated that it will cost about $3,000 per doctor to initiate an e-prescribing system. It also takes between $80 and $400 a month to maintain and operate a system, Kerry Weems, acting administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said during the teleconference.
Other barriers include state laws that prohibit e-prescribing across state lines, King said. And, there are areas in the country where computer systems are slow and inefficient, he said.
More information
For more on electronic medical records, visit the American Medical Association.
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Copyright © 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
Last updated 7/21/2008
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SOURCES: July 21, 2008, teleconference with Mike Leavitt, secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; James King, M.D., family physician in Tennessee, and president, American Academy of Family Physicians; Kerry Weems, acting administrator, U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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