Progress of electronic prescribing standards

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The shift to e-prescribing systems was formalized in 2003 with the passage of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA). One of its features is an outpatient prescription drug benefit for Medicare beneficiaries, or what is commonly referred to as Part D, which began in 2006.

The law mandated the use of “electronic prescription program” should any Part D plan providers and pharmacies voluntarily choose to prescribe using computer systems. It also called for the establishment of standards for the electronic transmission of prescriptions and certain other information for covered Part D drugs.

Health and Human Services Michael O. Leavitt reported in 2007 that Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) sponsors, Medicare Advantage (MA) Organizations offering Medicare Advantage-Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plans and other Part D sponsors “must support and comply with electronic prescribing standards when communicating with prescribers who want to use e-prescribing technology.”

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