Under new federal law, beginning on Jan. 1, 2009, physicians who successfully e-prescribe will be eligible to participate in a new incentive program. Physicians who successfully e-prescribe under the program requirements will receive incentive payments of 2 percent in 2009. The size of the payment will decrease to 1 percent in 2011 – 2012 and 0.5 percent in 2013. CMS has released the technical specifications for e-prescribing systems that must be present to qualify for the program.

The ACC highly encourages members to adopt e-prescribing, and offers tools and resources to members to assist in the adoption and use of health information technology, including a “how-to” guide to help clinicians make informed decisions about how and when to transition from paper to e-prescribing systems. Visit ACC’s Web site at http://www.acc.org/HealthIT for more information.

Check back for more coverage later this week from ACC health IT guru, Michael Mirro, M.D., F.A.C.C.!

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