WASHINGTON — The push for paperless prescriptions is about to get a boost: Starting in January, doctors who e-prescribe can get bonus pay from Medicare. For patients, the benefits include shorter drugstore waits and increased safety, as pharmacists no longer squint to decipher doctors’ messy handwriting.
But persuading U.S. doctors to ditch their prescription pads for electronic prescribing has been an uphill battle. Only about 10 percent of doctors are taking the plunge like Dr. Ted Epperly in Boise, Idaho, who’s adopting the technology now.
Still, the movement is gaining steam as Medicare warns that its bonus payments are for a short time only: Holdouts still sticking to paper in 2012 will find their Medicare payments cut.
President-elect Barack Obama is pushing to computerize health records. The Associated Press
