Have you heard?! On Wednesday (July 9, 2008) the Senate approved a Medicare bill that, among other things, will provide financial incentives for physicians to use electronic prescribing. The bill is called the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (HR 6331). According to the bill, physicians who use electronic prescribing for their Medicare patients will be eligible for incentive payments of 2% in 2009 and 2010, 1% in 2011 and 2012, and 0.5% in 2013. Doctors who do not use electronic prescribing by 2012 will see a pay cut of 2%.
Another part of the bill halts a scheduled 10.6% Medicare physician pay cut. Although the President has threatened to veto the bill, it was passed with enough votes to override a veto, paving the way for it to become law.
For the electronic prescribing community, I think this is the best thing since sliced bread. I think it’s great the government is providing incentives for using technology rather than punishment for not.
For those still not convinced of the return on investment of using an e-prescribing system, these incentives certainly should help.
