Government
HHS chief supports mandatory e-prescribing in Medicare
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Feb. 25, 2008
Congress should make e-prescribing a condition of participation in Medicare by 2011, said Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt at a Feb. 6 Senate Finance Committee hearing. "It saves lives. It saves money. And it's time," he said in response to a question by Sen. John Kerry (D, Mass.).
Kerry is a sponsor of the Medicare Electronic Medication and Safety Protection Act. The bill would reduce by 10% the payment for Medicare evaluation and management services provided in connection with a medication prescription that the physician could have made electronically but did not. On the flip side, the measure also would give E&M bonuses to doctors who e-prescribe.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/02/25/gvbf0225.htm.
