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Congress: No More Scribbled Scrips, Doc

Legislation will nudge MDs toward electronic prescription system

By Harry Kimball,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 12, 2008 4:29 PM CDT

(Newser) – Senators from both sides of the aisle are pushing doctors away from their prescription pads and towards electronic prescribing, the Chicago Tribune reports. Politicians and lobbyists hope the new system will cut down on mis-filled prescriptions and harmful, but avoidable, drug interactions.

Some doctors have been reluctant to embrace the technology, as it still very expensive; a bill now in the Senate hopes to smooth the transition by ensuring extra Medicare payments to doctors who adopt the system, and penalizing those that don’t.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., is a sponsor of the bill.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., is a sponsor of the bill.   (AP Photo)
A doctor in her office.
A doctor in her office.   (AP Photo/Bill Haber)
A PDA set up for electronic prescriptions.
A PDA set up for electronic prescriptions.   (AP Photo)
Electronic drug prescriptions can be delivered to pharmacists in all 50 states.
Electronic drug prescriptions can be delivered to pharmacists in all 50 states.   (AP Photo)
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