In a letter to Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and ranking member Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), the ACC on Monday advocated for the inclusion of legislation encouraging the adoption of e-prescribing in the Medicare reform package currently under consideration.

The letter offered seven recommendations to lawmakers on what should be included in e-prescribing legislation, including supporting e-prescribing legislation that creates a reasonable date-certain, to be no later than Dec. 31, 2011, to require physician e-prescribing, allowing for the finalization of standards and transition for physician compliance. In addition, the letter promotes incentives rather than punitive measures to get there.

In related news, the Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday released a report that suggests that the adoption of health information technology (HIT) alone will not result in significant financial savings, unless accompanied by other system reforms. Previous estimates of cost savings from HIT have assumed that it would be accompanied by significant reforms, according to the CBO. We issued a statement challenging the CBO analysis as too narrowly focused to provide a comprehensive picture of savings. The specific details can be debated, but a transition to electronic medical records with clinical decision support systems that promote evidence-based care and guideline adherence, as well as e-prescribing, will no doubt allow physicians to provide a higher quality of care for our patients and save lives. To view the statement, go to http://qualityfirst.acc.org/.