E-prescribing Push Prompts Outreach to Physicians

The buzz about e-prescribing just keeps getting louder, and that's prompting some serious physician educational outreach by the AAFP and CMS.

As a reminder to those who haven't been tuned in to the chatter, the federal government recently rolled out a Medicare e-prescribing incentive program for physicians and other eligible providers that begins Jan. 1. As part of that program, family physicians can earn a 2 percent bonus in their Medicare payments for 2009 and 2010.

That turn of events prompted Family Practice Management, a peer-reviewed publication of the AAFP, to take the rare step of publishing an article online before its scheduled debut in the print edition.

"Family Practice Management publishes ahead of print only when we have an article so timely we don't think it can wait for the printer. 'E-Prescribing: Why the Fuss?' (5-page PDF; About PDFs) is such an article," said FPM Editor-in-Chief Robert Edsall.

The article's author, FP Kenneth Adler, M.D., of Tucson, Ariz., covers a variety of topics, including details about his own e-prescribing experience, an overview of the health information exchange service SureScripts-RxHub, and a rundown of technology's challenges and benefits. He also includes a list of key questions for FPs to ask before investing in e-prescribing technology.

Edsall said the combination of today's sophisticated e-prescribing software and the SureScripts-RxHub information exchange make e-prescribing an attractive proposition for physicians. "But what pushed us into early release of the article was the set of financial incentives offered by Medicare. While not huge, they may be enough to tip the balance for a lot of practices," said Edsall. "With the biggest incentives available starting in January, we wanted to get the article out quickly."

The final version of the article -- updated with any new and pertinent information -- is scheduled for publication in the January/February issue of FPM.

Another educational opportunity comes up in October when CMS and more than 30 industry partners, including the AAFP, host a two-day e-prescribing conference in Boston. Registration is free to physicians and other health care professionals and stakeholders.

According to CMS, attendees will hear more details about the new incentive program and about how e-prescribing will benefit physicians and their patients.

Steven Waldren, M.D., director of the AAFP's Center for Health IT, said it made sense for the Academy to serve as a co-sponser, given its expertise in the health information technology arena and the AAFP's push to help FPs both understand and excel at e-prescribing.

To date, scheduled speakers at the conference include HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt, CMS Acting Administrator Kerry Weems, and the former National Coordinator for Health IT, David Brailer, M.D., Ph.D. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, founder of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Health Transformation, will speak live via satellite.