Porter E-Prescribing Provision Enacted into Law
July 17, 2008
Washington, D.C. – This week the Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (H.R. 6331) was enacted into law. In an effort to save lives and eliminate adverse medical reactions due to preventable prescription errors, Porter was able to include the E-MEDS Act of 2007 in the legislation. This key initiative requires doctors who receive Medicare to move towards electronic prescribing, or e-prescribing. E-prescribing is the online submission of prescriptions from your healthcare provider to your pharmacy. This legislation will help reduce nearly 7,000 deaths that occur annually due to illegible prescriptions and bad drug interactions. Approximately 97 percent of doctors accept Medicare, thus ensuring that the United States will now be able to move towards near universal use of e-prescribing.
“Enactment of E-prescribing is an enormous step to move our health care system into the 21st Century,” Porter said. “With the adoption of e-prescribing technology many lives will be saved, fewer errors will occur and the quality of patients’ care will drastically improve. It is time that the healthcare community takes the strides towards HIT implementation to mirror the technological innovations that nearly every other sector of our economy has benefited from.”
The provision has widespread support from patient advocates, the medical community, consumer, labor and business groups.
Organizations and businesses that support mandatory e-prescribing:
AARP, Consumers Union, Families USA, National Consumers League, National Partnership for Women & Families, SEIU, AFL-CIO, United Auto Workers, America’s Health Insurance Plans, HR Policy Association, The ERISA Industry Committee, Aetna, The Corporate Health Care Coalition (CHCC), The National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Pension Plans, Kentucky Teachers’ Retirement System, The Public Sector HealthCare Roundtable
Pacific Business Group on Health, Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, National Association of Chain Drug Stores, Walgreens, RxHub, The Coalition for a Competitive Pharmaceutical Market, Apotex, and the Generic Pharmaceutical Association.
