Provisions requiring physicians to e-prescribe in the Medicare program could well be included in the Medicare legislation that is likely to pass in June. E-prescribing (healthcare providers sending prescriptions electronically through a secure system to pharmacists) could reduce medical mistakes by making prescriptions easier to read, providing information on other drugs the patient is taking, and reducing the number of lost prescriptions. It has other potential benefits, such as reducing the patient?s waiting time at the pharmacy and providing information on lower cost alternatives. Depending on how the e-prescribing mandate is crafted, it could save the government billions of dollars.

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