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One thing Washington
can agree on: Time for E-Prescribing in
Medicare...New poll shows
Rural Seniors want E-Prescribing in Medicare
WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- As Washington gridlocks on so many
issues, promoting electronic prescribing
(e-prescribing) in Medicare is emerging as
one issue that both Republicans and
Democrats can agree on.
"The Medicare
Electronic Medication and Safety Protection
(E-MEDS) Act of 2007," which will require
that Medicare physicians begin to prescribe
electronically, will save lives and money,
and also fits perfectly into any Medicare
package being discussed on Capitol Hill, the
Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA)
said today.
Public support for
e-prescribing in Medicare is strong. A new
national poll finds that seniors in rural
areas by a 2-1 margin think e-prescribing
sounds like a good idea and support
requiring rural Medicare providers to use
the technology while allowing them
additional assistance to adopt the system.
Conducted by Ayres, McHenry & Associates,
the poll of 600 seniors in mostly rural
counties also shows that half of the seniors
questioned take four or more prescription
medicines on a regular basis. Half of these
seniors are very or somewhat concerned that
a new drug they are prescribed could lead to
a negative reaction with other drugs they
take.
E-prescribing improves
safety by alerting a doctor when a drug they
are about to prescribe might dangerously
interact with other medications already
being taken by their patient. E-prescribing
also eliminates errors resulting from sloppy
handwritten prescriptions being misread at
the pharmacy counter.
"The E-MEDS Act
addresses the single greatest barrier to
e-prescribing adoption: lack of urgency in
the physician community to modernize the way
they prescribe. Unless all physicians face
real consequences for continuing business as
usual, few will begin e-prescribing and
seniors will pay the price," said PCMA
President and CEO Mark Merritt. "PCMA
applauds the bipartisan leadership
supporting this important health care issue
being included in any Medicare package
before Congress."
The Institute of
Medicine (IOM) estimates that approximately
1.5 million preventable medication errors
harm Americans each year and that some 7,000
people die annually as a result. To remedy
this, the IOM admonished all doctors to
begin e-prescribing by 2010. Surveys show
that less than one in ten doctors currently
choose to prescribe electronically and
two-thirds don't view it as a priority.
Bipartisan momentum for
the E-MEDS Act is building in the Senate
with leadership from:
* Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.)
* Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.)
* Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.)
* Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME)
* Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
* Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.)
* Sen. John Sununu (R-NH)
* Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.)
* Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.)
* Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
A companion bill in the House is supported by:
* Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-Penn.)
* Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.)
* Rep. John Porter (R-Nev.)
* Rep. Phil English (R-Penn.)
* Rep. Thomas Allen (D-ME)
* Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.)
* Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY)
* Rep. Wally Herger (R-Calif.)
* Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.)
The legislation has
also been strongly endorsed by former
Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-GA). A
broad coalition of consumer, union,
business, purchaser groups, and other
prescription drug stakeholders is also
calling on Congress to ensure that
physicians use e-prescribing in Medicare by
2010.
The letter and poll are
available at www.pcmanet.org
PCMA is the national
association representing America's pharmacy
benefit managers (PBMs), which administer
prescription drug plans for more than 210
million Americans with health coverage
provided through Fortune 500 employers,
health insurance plans, labor unions, and
Medicare Part D.
