Allscripts supports landmark medicare electronic prescribing provisions

Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 to drive adoption of Electronic Prescribing and Electronic Health Records

Published: 07/17

CHICAGO, IL, USA - (HealthTech Wire) - Allscripts, the leading provider of clinical software, connectivity and information solutions that physicians use to improve healthcare, congratulated the leadership of the United States Congress in passing the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (H.R. 6331) last night. The Act, for the first time ever, provides financial incentives to physicians who adopt electronic prescribing (ePrescribing), requires adoption by 2011, and delays any reduction in fees for treating Medicare patients.

The Act will increase Medicare payments to physicians who regularly utilize ePrescribing by 2 percent in 2009 and 2010, then slightly less over the next three years. Physicians who do not use the technology would see their payments cut by 1 percent in 2011, and a maximum of up to 2 percent for 2013 and beyond.

"With this law, the Federal Government is supporting the use of life-saving technology that can improve quality and reduce the cost of care," said Glen Tullman, Chief Executive Officer of Allscripts. "This is a great day for patients, for physicians and for all stakeholders in healthcare. We expect the new Medicare rules to drive continued adoption of electronic prescribing and, because electronic prescribing is the 'on-ramp' to the electronic healthcare highway, we also expect the law will drive adoption of electronic health records, which include electronic prescribing as a core component and will therefore be eligible for the incentive."

Allscripts is the clear market leader in ePrescribing with more than 40,000 physician clients writing electronic prescriptions every day, transmitting more electronic prescriptions over the Pharmacy Health Information Exchange than any other vendor. Allscripts is the only company to provide a stand-alone ePrescribing solution in addition to including ePrescribing as a component of its Electronic Health Record solution. Allscripts makes it easy and affordable for physicians in solo practice and smaller medical groups to adopt its stand-alone ePrescribing solution as a first step towards eventual adoption of a full Electronic Health Record.

Additionally, Allscripts is the founding member of the National ePrescribing Patient Safety Initiative(TM) (NEPSI(TM)), a coalition of the nation's leading healthcare and technology companies that is dedicated to eliminating preventable medication errors by providing free e-prescribing technology to every physician in America. NEPSI is co-led by national sponsor Dell Inc., a leading global systems and services company. Additional NEPSI sponsors include Aetna, Cisco Systems, eRx Network, Fujitsu, Google -- the coalition's Search Sponsor -- Horizon BCBS of New Jersey, Microsoft, NaviMedix, Quest Diagnostics, Sprint Nextel, SureScripts, Wellpoint, and Wolters Kluwer Health.

"The NEPSI coalition was created to bring electronic prescribing to physicians at no cost and reduce the risk of medication errors to our nation," said Tullman. "And it's working. Every day, more physicians are adopting the solution."

The Allscripts web-based ePrescribing software for NEPSI is available at no cost to any healthcare provider with legal authority to prescribe medications, the solution requires no download, no new hardware, and minimal training. The product can quickly generate secure electronic prescriptions and deliver them to the patient's pharmacy of choice.