Under the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) providers who implement e-prescription programs are eligible for incentives. Offices are looking for medical software to help them implement this program and reap the rewards.

The E-Prescription Incentive Program

In 2003 the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) included provisions for electronic prescriptions. Growing evidence that e-prescriptions reduce medication errors and protect patient safety, as well as physician liability, has motivated many medical offices to convert over but many doctors still depend on paper prescriptions.

This in part led to the creation of the 2009 Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program that rewards providers who use e-prescriptions for their Medicare Part B claims. In 2009 a qualified e-prescriber will be eligible for a 2% incentive payment. The hope is that most or even all providers will seek out medical software that supports e-prescription and adopt that system for growing numbers of patients. The goal is not only to improve public safety but to make Medicare filing more cost effective and save money.

Qualification for the Program

The requirements for participation in the program are quite simple. The medical software used must be able to do the following, quoted directly from the measure specifications:

- Generate a complete active medication list incorporating electronic data received from applicable pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) if available
- Select medications, print prescriptions, electronically transmit prescriptions, and conduct all alerts
- Provide information related to lower cost, therapeutically appropriate alternatives (if any). (The availability of an e-prescribing system to receive tiered formulary information, if available, would meet this requirement for 2009)
- Provide information on formulary or tiered formulary medications, patient eligibility, and authorization requirements received electronically from the patient's drug plan (if available)

In addition, at least 10% of a participating provider's Medicare Part B services must be made up of specific procedure codes detailed in the measure. More information can be found at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/ERxIncentive/06_E-Prescribing_Measure.asp

What Software Is Required?

There are a number of medical software options available to providers. Many EMR systems include an option for e-prescriptions. The software used doesn't have to be CCHIT certified which allows a number of inexpensive and free EMR systems to be considered.

The guidelines above are fairly basic and nearly any e-prescription system will satisfy them. Providers should consult with the software producers to ensure they will meet the qualifications. If so, adoption of the new medical software should be undertaken as soon as possible so the provider can start earning the e-prescription incentives.

Providers who adopt these new systems will find once they get past the learning curve, the capabilities of the EMR system will allow their offices to run more efficiently. Easy access to patient records and integration with the EMR of other providers will ultimately make patient diagnosis and treatment safer and more cost effective.