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N.C. Blues Jump Start e-Prescribing


July 23, 2008

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is taking several steps to entice physicians to use electronic prescribing, including offering a $1,000 incentive to those who climb on the bandwagon.

The Chapel Hill, N.C.-based payer is offering one-time cash incentives to those who meet certain criteria, including registering with a certified e-prescribing vendor and accessing medication histories for at least 20 patients in the fourth quarter of 2008. Incentives will be paid in the first quarter of 2009.

Any pharmacies not currently able to accept electronic prescriptions that become electronically enabled by the end of 2008 also will qualify for a $1,000 incentive payment.

In addition, the Blues plan has launched a new e-prescribing Web site at bcbsnc.com/providers/eprescribe. The site offers one-stop shopping for free software from Allscripts Inc., Chicago, links to sources for discounted PDAs and connectivity, and access to a variety of other e-prescribing technologies.

The insurer contends that electronic prescribing can generate savings of about $250 per doctor per month because of increased use of generic drugs and avoidance of unnecessary or inappropriate prescriptions and other inefficiencies.

To help boost the effort, the Blues plan is partnering with Raleigh-based Community Care of North Carolina and its 14 regional health networks. That could lead to 3,500 physicians making the shift to e-prescribing, plan executives say. Community Care will provide educational, technical and grant support to help their physicians adopt e-prescribing with support from the North Carolina Division of Medical Assistance, the state’s Medicaid administrator.

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