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Controlled Substances Could Get E-Rx


November 30, 2007

 

U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) will chair a Senate hearing Dec. 4 to investigate the benefits and challenges that would be involved in allowing electronic prescribing for controlled substances.

 

Electronic prescribing is not mandated for Medicare or other patients, but federal officials are under increasing pressure fro industry stakeholders to do so. However, the Drug Enforcement Agency doesn't permit electronic prescribing of controlled substances.

 

As a result, physicians who prescribe controlled substances-- including medications often used to treat common conditions, such as attention-deficit disorder, anxiety or pain--often default to writing all prescriptions by hand, rather than maintaining two systems. This not only is more costly and time-consuming, but has delayed many e-prescribing efforts, industry experts say.

 

The Senate hearing will include testimony from various federal regulators and health information technology experts on the progress of rule-making to amend such regulations as well as the potential benefits and challenges of an electronic prescribing system for controlled substances. Speakers include: Joseph T. Rannazzisi, deputy assistant administrator in the office of diversion control for the DEA; Tony Trenkle, director for the office of E-Health Standards and Services for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; Laura Adams, president and CEO of the Rhode Island Quality Institute; Kevin Hutchinson, CEO of SureScripts; David Miller, Chief Security officer at Covisint; and Mike A. Podgurski, vice president, pharmacy services at the Rite Aid Corp.

 

The hearing will be held at 10 a.m. at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 226 in Washington. For more information, go to whitehouse.senate.gov.

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