What Are the Benefits of Electronic Prescriptions?

Adopting an e-prescribing system has a number of benefits for both doctors and patients. The system is more efficient, potentially saving millions of dollars in health care expenditure, and meaning shorter waits for people getting prescriptions filled. More importantly, it could completely eliminate the harmful errors that can result when a doctor’s handwriting is misread by a pharmacist. The biggest stumbling block in setting up an e-prescribing system for most doctors is the cost – around $3,000 to set up the system in a general practitioner’s office. In January, a Medicare bonus program was launched, with bonuses provided for doctors who convert to an e-prescription system. For the next four years the average doctor can earn a bonus of up to $1,500 per year for using such a system.

Obama Improvements to E-Prescribing

Further improvements are on the way thanks to President Obama’s stimulus bill, with approximately $19 billion earmarked for promotion and improvement of health care technology, including e-prescribing systems. Currently around 13% of doctors use an e-prescribing system. One recent report predicts that figure will climb to around 75% within five years, and to 90% by 2018. Health care research company Visante for PCMA also predicts that e-prescribing could save the federal government $22 billion over the next ten years – more than enough to cover the money spent. Where do the savings come from? PCMA says billions will be saved because the system will make it easier for doctors to prescribe cheaper generic drugs, thanks to on-screen computer alerts to let a doctor know when a generic is available for any given condition. And eliminating prescription errors will save money too. PCMA predicts that 3.5 million medical errors, and 585,000 hospitalizations due to errors, will have been prevented by 2018. photo credit: quinn.anya

President-elect Barack Obama should take note – health reform is about the little things just as much as it is sweeping changes to the system.

Information gathered from a batch of more than 8,500 meetings held around the country in December will be compiled and used to help design the healthcare proposal that has been in the news as of late. Obama’s transition team plans to post some of the material at change.gov.

One particular meeting took place late December 2008, between newly appointed secretary of health and human services, the former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, and more than two dozen seniors During this meeting, seniors told Daschle that they placed more importance on certain things such as waiting times to see their doctor, the increasing cost of prescription drugs, and the narrow range of Medicare coverage for certain medical procedures, equipment, and treatments.

An Example for Health Care Reform: Alzheimer’s

One woman at the meeting cited her family’s history of Alzheimer’s disease for her hope that the new administration will put heavy emphasis on medical research. A man said that helping people live healthier lives should receive more emphasis than it currently does – not only to improve health, but also to reduce medical costs for individuals and the nation as a whole. Another man says he wants medical providers to show more concern for the people they treat than whether or not those people will pay their medical bills.

Daschle says that lawmakers are more likely to get behind a new health care system if voters provide enough incentive pressure. And it seems that the transition team is listening: The Obama administration is encouraging seniors to submit their own stories about health care – and any other issues they think need to be addressed.

The team should also take one final note: The current effort to gather information about the health care system has been compared to the 2005-2006 attempt by the Citizens Health Care Working Group. More than 6,500 people participated in meetings across America, and a further 14,000 participated in online surveys. The Congress-sponsored group eventually recommended guaranteed health coverage for certain doctor’s visits, and some ways to protect people from high health care costs – but none of its recommendations were acted upon.

Let’s hope that this new round of meetings prompts some real change.

photo credit: woodleywonderworks

Healthcare was a hot topic in the recent election, and with Barack Obama’s election, many women’s health advocates hope to see a reversal of some of the policies added or modified during the Bush administration.

Some of the recent election results may point towards a new policy towards women’s health care. But these policy changes are entirely dependent on the cooperation of Congress. Don’t forget, too, that the supreme court is now filled with a few new pro-life judges. What might we see changed?

Reduced funding for abstinence-only programs: A couple of years ago, then-Senator Obama said that he believes an abstinence-only sex education stance is not effective. He was also a co-sponsor of the Prevention First Act, designed to “expand access to preventive health care services that help reduce unintended pregnancy, reduce the number of abortions, and improve access to women’s health care” by ensuring teens receive accurate information about contraception and sexual health.

Removal of the global gag rule: On his very first day in office, Bush reinstituted the “global gag” rule, which served to restrict federal funding for health clinics in foreign countries if they offered abortions or related services.

Improved access to contraception and pregnancy coverage: Obama’s new healthcare initiative might be the final step needed to ensure all health plans cover contraception. More comprehensive pregnancy coverage may also be included. Another improvement may be better access to contraception for military women overseas. Currently, women who become pregnant while serving in overseas military operations are sent home – immediately, with no opportunity for the morning-after pill or surgical abortion. Since Obama’s healthcare plan includes abortion cover, we can hope to see soldiers afforded the same benefits as the civilians they are protecting.

Reversal of the “conscience” rule: Obama is expected to reverse a rule which was scheduled to be enacted over the next few weeks. The rule would provide free reign for healthcare workers to “opt out” of certain practices they object to on moral grounds – such as prescribing birth control or the morning after pill. This rule is opposed by the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Removal of gender disparity in insurance premiums: Obama’s ambitious healthcare plans aren’t likely to be enacted for some time, with the economic climate putting immense pressure on the federal funds available. But if his plans are enacted, they could ensure that gender discrimination is a thing of the past when it comes to buying health insurance. A recent study by the National Women’s Law Center revealed that a woman may be charged up to 48% more for her insurance than a man of the same age.

photo credit: TheTruthAbout…