Few Doctors E-file Prescriptions increasing errors
In an effort to eliminate adverse medical reactions caused by prescription errors, U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz-D recently sponsored a bill that has been approved by Congress. The bill will require physicians to file prescriptions for Medicare patients electronically. The measure requiring e-prescriptions “will reduce the number of errors, dramatically save lives and save money,” Schwartz said in a phone interview. The E-MEDS bill, which had bipartisan support, requires physicians to electronically file prescriptions for Medicare patients, rather than by paper script, by Jan. 1, 2011. A recent study found only 4 percent of doctors in the United States has a “fully functional” electronic medical records system. In addition, the United States has the third highest rate of deaths from medical errors among the world's 30 most developed countries, including more than 1.5 million preventable adverse drug reactions annually, resulting in 7,000 deaths per year. Submitting prescriptions electronically would preclude misreading a script and pharmacies would have a list of other medications the patient is taking, Schwartz said.
