News & Events - Overview
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11.25.2008
It's Prime Time for E-Prescribing
Several sessions at AHIP's Business Forum 2008 concluded that 2009 will be the year that e-prescribing becomes really big. -
11.02.2008
MDs get 5.1 percent bump for Medicare for e-prescribing
Over the next several months, CMS is phasing in some new incentives for provider IT use which, taken collectively, could potentially result in a nice little boost to their income. -
10.28.2008
Healing With Handhelds At Mercy Gilbert Hospital
Mercy Gilbert Medical Center in Gilbert, AZ, is a four-story, full-service, acute-care hospital covering 60 acres. Owned by Catholic Healthcare West, it has 182 private 7 rooms, with the capacity to grow to 400 beds over the next five years. -
10.28.2008
Insurer wants to write off prescription pads
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the state's largest health insurer, will require doctors to adopt computer prescription systems by 2011 if they want to qualify for bonus payments. -
10.15.2008
Three Ways Health Plans Benefit from E-prescribing
I attended CMS' National E-prescribing Conference in Boston last week along with more than 1,400 healthcare professionals and leaders. CMS hosted the event to help folks prepare for the newly enacted federal eprescribing incentive payment program that will begin in 2009. -
10.14.2008
Everything You Need to Know About E-Prescribing
The practice of prescribing medications electronically has been getting a good amount of attention recently. Everyone from CMS Acting Administrator Kerry Weems to Senator John Kerry and Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are pushing hard for greater adoption of e-prescribing among providers. -
10.10.2008
CMS offers small practices health IT incentives
Small-to-midsize physician practices might be eligible for a new incentive program sponsored by federal and state health agencies that aims to drive the adoption of electronic health records. -
09.18.2008
Information exchange providers seeing benefits
Times are changing for health information exchange organizations as they continue to mature and provide meaningful data to participants, according to industry executives. -
09.12.2008
Providers link HIE to lower costs, improved outcomes
Electronic health information exchange (HIE) between physicians, hospitals, payors and patients is decreasing the cost of care and improving outcomes, according to a new survey released by the non-profit eHealth Initiative. -
09.11.2008
Survey: HIEs/RHIOs Reducing Costs
Sixty-nine percent of health information exchanges and regional health information organizations that consider themselves fully operational report reductions in health care costs among participants, according to results of an annual survey from eHealth Initiative, an advocacy group. -
09.01.2008
ACCELERATING PROGRESS: Using Health Information Technology and Electronic Health Information Exchange to Improve Care
Across the United States, important work is underway to achieve much-needed reforms in the American health care system. -
09.01.2008
SUMMARY: Patient safety through e-prescribing
The focus of the first joint E-Health Insider/British Computer Society Health Informatics Forum (HIF) round table was how to use electronic prescribing to improve patient safety. -
09.01.2008
COMMENTS: Patient safety through e-prescribing
View the comments/responses from this report >> -
08.26.2008
MRI Calls for Health Mobile Phone Organization
Taking another next step toward promoting the utility of mobile phones in health-IT, the Boston-based Medical Records Institute (MRI) is calling on other organizations and companies to join a new membership-based organization. -
08.01.2008
iPhone 'ups the game' on health info
The recent – and much-hyped – launch of Apple's new 3G iPhone has spurred healthcare IT vendors to launch cell phone-based applications of their own. -
07.24.2008
MediVoice® Partners with VisionTree® to Integrate its Voice-Activated e-Prescribing Solution into VisionTree’s VTOC™ Web-Based Patient Management System
MediVoice®, LLC, the world’s first mobile voiceactivation solution for e-Health and e-Prescribing, has formed a strategic partnership with VisionTree®, a leading provider of interactive, web-based, patient-centered health record management and provider communication systems to integrate and market its mobile voice-activation solution with the VisionTree Optimal Care™ (VTOC) system. -
07.23.2008
North Carolina Health Plan Steps Up Efforts To Boost E-Rx Adoption
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina has increased its efforts to encourage physicians to adopt electronic prescribing technology, Health Data Management reports. -
07.21.2008
Law will boost e-prescribing, HHS secretary says
Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said today he expects the e-prescribing incentives and penalties in the Medicare bill passed this month to "have a profound effect on the adoption and use of eprescribing." -
07.17.2008
Incentives expected to spur docs to e-prescribe
More U.S. doctors are expected to throw away their paper pads and begin to prescribe drugs electronically under a new Medicare measure offering them financial incentives to go high-tech, according to experts. -
07.16.2008
Congress Overrides Medicare Veto; E-Rx Measure Preserved
Yesterday, legislation to block a scheduled Medicare physician pay cut and provide financial incentives to physicians for using electronic prescriptions became law after Congress overwhelmingly overrode President Bush's veto of the bill earlier in the day, Health Data Management reports. -
07.10.2008
Senate OKs Medicare BillWith E-Rx Incentives for Physicians
On Wednesday, the Senate approved by a veto-proof margin a bill that would halt a scheduled 10.6% Medicare physician pay cut and provide financial incentives to physicians for using electronic prescriptions, Healthcare IT News reports. -
07.10.2008
Physician Adoption of E-Prescribing Technology Increasing
The hand-written prescription is "on its way to becoming a historical curiosity," as physicians and pharmacies increasingly adopt electronic prescribing systems... -
07.01.2008
E-Prescription Networks to Merge
The nation's two electronic prescription networks plan to announce today that they are merging in an effort to encourage the adoption of their technology by doctors and patients... -
06.27.2008
DEA proposes rules to allow e-prescribing of controlled substances
The Drug Enforcement Administration has proposed rules to allow eprescribing of controlled substances, such as painkillers and stimulants, and will accept public comments until Sept. 25. -
06.24.2008
House Medicare bill gets veto-proof majority
In a surprise development, the House on Tuesday passed a Medicare bill with a veto-proof majority, marking a significant step toward a goal that has eluded Congress all year. -
06.24.2008
Baucus, Grassley Reach Tentative Deal On Medicare Fix
With just a few days to go before Congress goes home and physicians are hit with a Medicare pay cut, Senate Finance Committee leaders reached a tentative bipartisan deal on Medicare legislation and are awaiting CBO scores, Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus said today. -
06.20.2008
DEA To Propose Rule To Allow E-Rx of Controlled Substances
As early as next week, the Drug Enforcement Administration plans to announce a proposed rule that would allow electronic prescribing of medications classified as controlled substances, according to an individual familiar with the situation, the Wall Street Journal reports. -
06.20.2008
E-Prescribing Could Be Starting Point for Health Data Exchanges
Insurers looking to use health information exchanges to reduce costs and enhance care should use electronic prescribing as a starting point, Charles Kennedy, vice president of health IT at WellPoint, said, Health Data Management reports. -
06.19.2008
Landmark Survey Finds Low Rates of Physician EHR Adoption
New research published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine found that fewer than 20% of U.S. physicians use some form of electronic health records, the New York Times reports. -
06.19.2008
Thompson to Payers: Force E-Scripts
Health insurers should force physicians through reimbursement policies to adopt electronic prescribing technology, former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson told payers during a keynote presentation June 19 at the America's Health Insurance Plans' Institute 2008 in San Francisco. -
06.18.2008
AMA Calls for End to Federal Obstacles to E-Prescribing
On Tuesday, the American Medical Association's House of Delegates voted in favor of a resolution calling for an end to government barriers to electronic prescribing, Modern Healthcare reports. -
06.18.2008
South Dakota Senator: Health IT Can Boost Care Quality, Access
Despite partisan politics that overshadow some efforts to increase "access to affordable, high-quality care, expanding access to effective health care technologies has been one area of agreement," Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) writes in a Meade County Times-Tribune opinion piece. -
06.17.2008
EHR and ePrescribing Adoption Remains Sluggish
The use of digital health records by physicians is expanding, but numerous roadblocks still constrain that growth. -
06.16.2008
Florida Payers Move on e-Prescribing
The ePrescribe Florida Collaborative, comprising a number of insurers in the state working to encourage more use of electronic prescription technology, has released its initial list of registered e-prescription vendors. -
06.11.2008
Electronic Prescribing Increasing, but Barriers Remain, Report Finds
Thirty-five million prescriptions were sent electronically in 2007, a 170% increase from 2006, but significant regulatory and cost barriers remain, according to a report released Wednesday by the eHealth Initiative and the Center... -
06.03.2008
American College of Cardiology Supports E-Prescription Mandate
The American College of Cardiology is separating itself from a number of other physician groups by favoring a mandate for Medicare physicians to adopt electronic prescriptions, Modern Healthcare reports. -
06.03.2008
Electronic prescribing push clicks with Congress
A broad coalition of corporations, consumer groups and pharmaceutical providers moved closer this week to compelling millions of doctors to file prescriptions electronically. -
05.26.2008
White House asks for Medicare bill by mid-June
Lawmakers hoping to block a July 1 Medicare physician payment cut must get a bill to President Bush by the middle of June or risk implementation problems, according to the administration... -
05.23.2008
E-Script Advocates Respond to AMA
Industry stakeholders on May 22 sent a letter to congressional leaders in response to an earlier letter from the American Medical Association to Congress that called for the federal government... -
05.21.2008
Minn. bill gives nod to CCHIT, e-Rx requirements
Minnesota will require all electronic health records to be certified by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology, and hospitals, pharmacies and other providers... -
05.07.2008
Anthem and NH Push e-Prescribing
Innovative technology will enable physicians to have secure access to online patient medical records and claims information from their mobile telephones... -
05.06.2008
Arizona Ordered to Step Up E-Prescribing
Governor Janet Napolitano has issued an Executive Order (PDF) to significantly increase patient safety through the use of e-prescribing in Arizona... -
05.02.2008
Advocates Push To Make Sure E-Prescriptions Are Filled
Big businesses, unions, consumer groups and pharmaceutical stakeholders are not taking any chances that a proposal to tie physicians' adoption of electronic prescribing technology to Medicare reimbursement... -
05.01.2008
STATE ALLIANCE CALL TO ACTION FOR NGA
The members of the State Alliance for e-Health recognize the potential for e-prescribing to increase patient safety and improve the health of all Americans. Today, less than five percent of eligible prescriptions are filled through e-prescribing methods. -
04.30.2008
PBM Lobby Launches Campaign For E-Prescribing Mandate in Medicare
A trade group for pharmacy benefit managers has launched a new national ad campaign aimed at bolstering efforts in Congress to mandate electronic prescribing in Medicare... -
04.29.2008
Pharmacies to Push E-Prescribing
Ten major pharmacy chains are launching a national marketing campaign to raise consumer awareness about electronic prescriptions... -
04.28.2008
Part D standards aim to encourage e-prescribing
Washington -- Doctors who want to go paperless when ordering drugs for their Medicare patients now have a set of federal standards... -
04.17.2008
What Is the Biggest Benefit to ProvidersWho Use E-Prescribing?
Sixty-five percent of health IT professionals said that reducing the risk of medication errors is the biggest benefit to providers... -
04.14.2008
Will e-prescribing encourage generic utilization? Experts believe so
Proponents of electronic prescribing proclaim the technology's ability to address many healthcare woes. They say if it is widely adopted, e-prescribing will improve patient safety and save pharmacists' time and payer dollars -
04.11.2008
Senate Medicare Bill Will Side-Step Committee
In an April 8 interview, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) told reporters that long-anticipated Medicare... -
04.09.2008
E-Prescribing Can Cut Costs and Improve Patient Safety, but Physicians Are Slow to Embrace It
While physicians have been slow to embrace electronic prescribing, the experiences of several health plans... -
04.01.2008
NACDS Calls on Congress to Support E-prescribing
Alexandria, Va. – The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) urged Congress to support policies that... -
03.31.2008
Smartphone Computing Moving Into Docs' Offices
More and more doctors are using smartphones -- essentially PDAs that can make phone calls -- in their daily lives... -
03.17.2008
Speech is the Cure for Medical Records
Despite increased government pressure for the healthcare industry to convert patient records into electronic files... -
03.17.2008
Benchmarking eHIT and ePrescribing Trends
During 2007, AHIP conducted a survey, funded in part by Merck, to identify major emerging trends in health care. -
02.25.2008
MediVoice LLC Selects Nuance Voice Control To Power New E-Prescription Application
Nuance Communications, Inc. (NUAN), a leading supplier of speech and imaging solutions, today announced that MediVoice, LLC... -
02.23.2008
Gates sees diminished role for keyboards
People will increasingly interact with computers using speech or touch screens rather than... -
02.05.2008
E-Prescribing: a common-sense prescription for improving healthcare for all Americans
The United States's healthcare system often seems like a paradox — our nation leads the world in technological... -
01.31.2008
Battlefield medics need to use more of the available etools, commanders say
U.S. military medics could be making better use of electronic health record... -
01.31.2008
Health Chief: IT Can Boost Patient Safety, Increase Efficiency
Greater use of health information technology will translate into much safer and more efficient care... -
01.14.2008
Experts say e-prescribing will be first and hottest HIT issue in 2008
Experts for and against electronic e-prescribing all feel it will bubble up as one of the... -
01.07.2008
If Canadians want to realize the benefits of electronic health records, it's up to the public to demand them
Whether you are a patient, parent or a caregiver to aging parents, nothing matters more than your own health and wellbeing and... -
12.18.2007
Congress Looks to Require Electronic Prescriptions
All Things Considered, December 17, 2007 · In ancient Babylon, healers wrote some of the earliest known prescriptions for medicines... -
12.17.2007
Oregon Doctors Outpace Nation in EHR Adoption, Study Finds
Clinicians in Oregon are 81% more likely than the national average to have adopted electronic health records, according... -
12.12.2007
GM and WellPoint are partners in e-prescribing pilot
The companies will test a plan to offer financial incentives encouraging Ohio physicians to prescribe electronically... -
12.03.2007
Support grows for e-prescribing
There were rumors that a forthcoming Medicare bill in the Senate Finance Committee would require doctors to use e-prescribing in a trade-off for getting higher fees for... -
12.01.2007
Smartphones gain appeal with more docs
DALLAS – As mobile communications devices become ubiquitous in society at large, it shouldn’t be surprising that physicians are using mobile technology at higher... -
11.29.2007
Benefits of Electronic Health Records Seen as Outweighing Privacy Risks
A sizable majority of Americans believe electronic medical records have the potential to improve U.S. health care and that the benefits outweigh privacy risks, according to... -
11.28.2007
BCBSA Statement: AHIC Medicare E-Prescribing Recommendation "Clear Signal" Congress Must Act Now to Protect Seniors
WASHINGTON – Scott P. Serota, president and chief executive officer of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), released the following statement in response... -
11.20.2007
HHS Secretary Calls on Large Payers To Mandate E-Prescribing
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt last week called on large health care payers, including Medicare and Medicaid, to require electronic prescribing, Government Health IT reports... -
11.07.2007
Electronic-prescription Medicare provision gets push from groups
Supporters of legislation to require doctors who treat Medicare patients to use electronic prescriptions are planning a full-court press as the legislative year winds down... -
11.05.2007
Medicare docs can get bonuses for using EHRs and eprescribing in 2008
For the first time, the Medicare program will pay bonuses to doctors and other health care providers for using electronic health records and e-prescribing in 2008... -
11.05.2007
Aetna's E-Prescribing Pilot Causes Increases in Generic Drug Prescriptions and Formulary Compliance
An e-prescribing pilot program conducted by Aetna, Inc. in New Jersey and Pennsylvania boosted physicians' generic drug prescribing rates by 7% and formulary... -
09.13.2007
E-prescribing PDAs save millions for Mississippi Medicaid
Mississippi’s Medicaid program is saving about $1.2 million per month in prescription costs as a result of equipping...