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Coalition of business, unions, and consumer groups call on Congress to require E-Prescribing in Medicare initiative would improve safety, increase savings

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Signaling continued momentum on the issue of electronic prescribing (e-prescribing), a broad coalition of consumer, union, business, purchaser groups, and other prescription drug stakeholders is calling on Congress to ensure that physicians use e-prescribing in Medicare by 2010. Currently, less than one-in-ten physicians use this technology.

In a letter to congressional committee leaders, the coalition called on policymakers to implement a safety requirement that e-prescribing be used for all Part D prescriptions.

Requiring e-prescribing in Medicare could prevent 1.9 million adverse drug events over the next ten years and save billions, even after providing physicians with funds for equipment and training.

"This broad coalition wants Congress to make sure that seniors are protected from further preventable medication errors," said PCMA President & CEO Mark Merritt.

Those who signed the letter to Chairmen Charles Rangel, John Dingell & Max Baucus and Ranking Members Jim McCrery, Joe Barton & Charles Grassley include:

 
Consumer/Labor Groups

  -- Consumers Union

  -- Families  USA

  -- National Consumers  League

  -- National Partnership  for Women & Families

  -- SEIU

  -- AFL-CIO

  -- International Union,  United Auto Workers

Business/Public  Purchasers

  -- HR Policy  Association

  -- The ERISA Industry  Committee

  -- Aetna

  -- The Corporate Health  Care Coalition (CHCC)

  -- The National  Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Pension Plans

  -- KentuckyTeachers' Retirement  System

  -- The Public Sector  HealthCare Roundtable Roundtable Roundtable

  -- Pacific Business Group  on Health

  Prescription Drug  Stakeholders

  -- Pharmaceutical Care  Management Association

  -- National Association  of Chain Drug Stores

  -- Walgreens

  -- RxHub

  -- The Coalition for a Competitive Pharmaceutical Market (CCPM)

  -- Apotex

  -- The Generic  Pharmaceutical AssociationAssociation

  *A copy of the letter is available at www.pcmanet.org

PCMA is the national association representing America's pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), which administer prescription drug plans for more than 210 million Americans with health coverage provided through Fortune 500 employers, health insurance plans, labor unions, and Medicare Part D.