Incentive Pay for Using E-Prescribing is Focus of
CMS National Conference Today
Electronic prescribing of prescriptions could save
thousands of senior citizens from medication errors
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Kerry Weems, CMS |
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Mike Leavitt, HHS |
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Oct. 7, 2008 – E-prescribing, which has the
potential to save thousands of senior citizens from medication errors,
received a big boost today as 1,400 health care professionals and
industry leaders convened in Boston at the National E‑prescribing
Conference hosted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Sure to attract most of the attention is discussion
of a newly enacted federal e-prescribing incentive payment program. Also
emphasized will be strategies and tools for integrating e-prescribing
with current health care delivery practices; and privacy, security, and
risk management implications.
“Our Nation’s health care system is undergoing a
major transformation thanks to health information technology
advancements like e-prescribing,” said Health and Human Services
Secretary (HHS) Mike Leavitt.
“From the smallest rural communities to the largest
metropolitan areas, e-prescribing is streamlining the prescription
process for patients, providers, health plans, and pharmacies. Today’s
National E‑prescribing Conference is a vital step in overcoming
e-prescribing barriers and sharing both best practices and insights to
accelerate adoption.”
Other headline speakers include CMS Acting
Administrator Kerry Weems, Senator John Kerry (D-MA), Former House
Speaker Newt Gingrich, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Rhode
Island Governor Donald Carcieri, and Health Evolution Partners Chairman
David Brailer, M.D., Ph.D.
Prescribing electronically gives physicians secure
electronic access to each patient’s prescription history, helping to
avoid prescriptions that may result in drug interactions.
E-prescribing also:
● Eliminates the possibility of medication errors
caused by illegible handwriting;
● Improves quality and efficiency by actively
promoting appropriate prescribing patterns;
● Furnishes information to providers and
dispensers about formulary-based drug coverage;
● Speeds up prescription renewals; and
● Facilitates communication between physicians’
offices and pharmacies.
The Institute of Medicine reported in 1996 that
more than 1.5 million Americans, including an estimated 530,000 Medicare
beneficiaries, are injured each year by drug errors.
Medicare is advancing e-prescribing by bringing
together members of the health care community at the National
E‑prescribing Conference. Under provisions in the Medicare Improvements
for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA), physicians and other
eligible professionals who meet federal requirements as a successful
electronic subscriber between 2009 and 2013 will receive incentive
payments from Medicare.
Under MIPPA, the Secretary of HHS is authorized to
identify successful electronic prescribers for a reporting period using
one of two possible standards: one based on the reporting of electronic
prescribing measures established under Physician Quality Reporting
Initiative and one based on the electronic submission of prescriptions
under Medicare Part D.
Incentive payments, which are available from 2009
through 2013, will be set at 2 percent for 2009 and 2010; 1 percent for
2011 and 2012; and 0.5 percent for 2013.
Beginning in 2012, eligible professionals who are
not successful electronic prescribers will be subject to a penalty in
the form of a percentage reduction in their Medicare physician fee
schedule payment.
“Medicare is leading the way in implementing
innovative technology solutions to deliver optimal health services for
beneficiaries,” said CMS Acting Administrator Weems.
“Widespread adoption of e-prescribing will mean a
significant reduction in annual medication errors, improved efficiency
and convenience, and will garner financial savings for both physicians
and consumers.”
There were almost three dozen co-sponsoring
organizations – primarily health and insurance groups - of the National
E-prescribing Conference.
HIMSS sponsored an E-prescribing Solutions Showcase
exhibition during the conference. The HIMSS exhibition featured
e-prescribing innovations by Allscripts, EHS, Greenway, NextGen, RxNT,
Sage Software, and Zix.
This e-prescribing initiative is part of HHS’ bold
vision for health care reform built on the four cornerstones of
value-driven health care, according to a news release by CMS.
These include: adopting interoperable health
information technology; measuring and publishing quality information to
enable consumers to make better decisions about their providers and
treatment options; measuring and publishing price information to give
consumers information they need to make decisions on purchasing health
care; and promoting incentives for high-quality, efficient delivery of
care.
For more information, visit
www.hhs.gov/valuedriven or
www.cms.hhs.gov/pqri. National E-prescribing Conference
presentations can be downloaded at
www.e-prescribeconference.com.
