In a report to Congress, HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt announced the results of an electronic prescribing pilot project that support the adoption of new standards.
The pilot project demonstrated that three initial standards — for transactions that provide physicians with patients' formulary and benefit information; medication history; and the fill status of medications — are already capable of supporting e-prescribing transactions in Medicare Part D.
The report also found that, with some adjustments, e-prescribing can work successfully in long-term care settings.
Standards in need of further development include those used to convey structured patient instructions, a terminology to describe clinical drugs, and messages that convey prior authorization information.
