Moving toward e-prescriptions

The eHealth Initiative has put out a new "how to" guide for clinicians about switching to e-presciption systems. All jokes about doctors' handwriting aside, the system could mean big improvements for how prescriptions are written and filled...but also poses some major problems.

The Journal of the American Medical Association quotes eHealth Initiative CEO Janet Marchibroda:

"We know e-prescribing is an efficient way to improve health care delivery, decrease medication errors, and prevent potentially dangerous drug interactions. However, the transition from paper to an electronic system is quite challenging."

Upfront costs of software, equipment and staff training are one major obstacle; state laws are another. Will the system overhaul ultimately be worth the trouble?
 

Meet Ray F.

My name is Ray Funatsu and I've been a pharmacist since 1963. In '74 I started working as a manager with Sav-on until '94; that's when I stepped down because it got to be a little too much. I worked until 2000 and retired and now I'm on-call.