E-Prescribing or electronic prescribing, is a new way that individuals can quickly and efficiently order and receive their prescription medications without the hassle of waiting along period of time. It also can eliminate great costs of pescription drugs.

E-Prescriptions was adopted under the MMA, the Medicare Modernization Act. According to Maria A. Friedman, DBA of the Office of E-Health Standards and Services, and author of "E-prescribing and the medicare prescription drug program", she mentions that e-prescribing has its great benefits, when it comes to patients e-prescribing. "It improves patients safety and reduces medication errors, as well as improve quality of care." For physicians, it "improves quality and efficiency and reduces costs." Benefits for the pharmacies would be that, there is "instant connectivity between providers, pharmacies, and health plans. PBM's improves speed and accuracy of dispensing, pharmacy callbacks, eligibility checks, and medication history." Lastly, as far as health plans are concerned, "it promotes use of cheaper, therapeutically equivalent drugs."

Because E-prescribing is adopted under the MMA, it is "voluntary for physicians and pharmacies." Part D plans within medicare must support e-prescribing, should the physicians and pharmacies desire to do it." And, if "e-prescribing is done, then Part-D must use standards "promulgated now and in the future." Maria Friedman also mentioned possible setbacks as e-prescribing is utilized. Privacy to the patients health conditions may be discovered by others than those who should know about the patients medical history. Whomever owns the indivdual persons data may be worried about the confidentiality of the "patient to physician" consent may be abused by others. Which would tie back into patients personal medical history being exposed to third parties. Also the issues of others having access to these records may become a huge problem. So there still may be some technical improvements that need to take place as well, as we advance into the future.

When the MMA E-Prescribing Timeline began, it generally announced the initial standards around September 2005. The pilot began about four months later, around January 2006. Part D went live as well in January 2006. It was reported to congress on pilot in April 2007, so about a year and three months later. Finally, the additional standards final rule happened around April 2008, a year later. So the process in whole took about roughly, four years.

Because of the advanced route our technological world has taken, it would be crazy not to implement the way we order and receive our medications. It is actually more convienient for people to order and receive their medications by e-prescriptions. The average work day for an American is now about 10 to 12 hours a day. With that said, it would be hard or nearly impossible for a person to take about the average wait time of about 20 to 30 minutes to pick up their medication. So the adoption and utilization of e-prescribing has done wonders within our medical field.

Source:
Maria A. Friedman. (November 2005) E-Prescribing and the Medicare Prescription Drug Program. http://www.ahqa.org/Freidman.ppt