American Medical Association Unveils Electronic Prescribing Online Learning Center

Main Category: IT / Internet / E-mail
Also Included In: Primary Care / General Practice;  Public Health;  Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Article Date: 02 Apr 2009 - 3:00 PDT

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American Medical Association (AMA) launched a new online learning center to provide physicians with the information and tools they need to make informed decisions about electronic prescribing (ePrescribing). The learning center can be found at http://www.ama-assn.org/go/eprescribing.

"The AMA's new ePrescribing learning center takes the guess work out of the decision-making process by giving physicians all the tools they need to decide what system is best for their practice," said AMA Board Chair Joseph M. Heyman, M.D. "At the end of last year about 13 percent of physicians were prescribing electronically, but with the incentives available through Medicare's ePrescribing incentive program and this new AMA resource, I'm certain that percentage will increase."

The new online learning center includes:

- Complete and unbiased information on ePrescribing vendor prices and features

- Calculators to estimate time savings and determine Medicare ePrescribing incentive payments

- The latest information on federal and state programs offering ePrescribing incentives

- Readiness and planning tools to map out an implementation plan

Additional resources like "A Clinician's Guide to Electronic Prescribing," frequently asked questions about Medicare's new ePrescribing incentive program and an ePrescribing practice readiness survey can be downloaded from the learning center. While many aspects of the learning center are available exclusively to AMA members, some educational information and tools needed to get started on the path toward ePrescribing can be accessed by all visitors.

"The benefits of ePrescribing are widely recognized and include a significant reduction in the risk of medication errors and drug interactions," said Dr. Heyman. "This new learning center will help physicians navigate through the ePrescribing adoption process so they can easily begin using this technology and prepare their practice for future technology like an electronic health record system."

Source
Lisa Lecas
American Medical Association