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
Congress: No More Scribbled Scrips, Doc
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., is a sponsor of the bill.   (AP Photo)

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. (More doctor stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X