BCBSA supports e-prescribing.

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) has added its voice of endorsement via a statement supporting HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt's push for Congress to mandate electronic prescribing in Medicare. The BCBSA statement specifically endorses a requirement that participating physicians in the Medicare program submit prescriptions electronically by 2010. The BCBSA statement comes on the heels of the American Health Information Community's (AHIC) recommendation for HHS Secretary Leavitt to mandate e-prescribing in Medicare. "AHIC's decision is a clear signal that Congress must act now to protect senior and disabled beneficiaries from preventable medication errors that cost billions and harm millions every year," said AHIC board member, BCBSA president and CEO Scott Serota. This adds to the momentum of proposed legislation introduced by a bipartisan group of senators that would give doctors permanent Medicare fee bonuses for acquiring and using e-prescribing systems. The legislation also includes a provision for cuts in Medicare reimbursements to those physicians not writing their Medicare outpatient prescriptions electronically by Jan. 1, 2011.