ePrescribing Legislation Introduced in House
Legislation that would establish ePrescribing guidelines was introduced in the state House of Representatives on July 3, 2007.
The Pennsylvania Medical Society supports the use of ePrescribing and other health information technologies but opposes government mandates that require their use.
House Bill 1683, which was introduced by Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski (D-Luzerne), is aimed primarily at health care facilities and not private or group physician practices.
It would require facilities to provide all medical staff with prescriptive authority access to an ePrescribing system that can identify drug interactions. When applying for a license, facilities would be required to certify that they provide access to such a system.
The bill would establish guidelines for physicians who choose to use ePrescribing and require physicians to certify that they have access to a system and report whether it is being used for writing prescriptions.
Gov. Ed Rendell’s original Prescription for Pennsylvania proposal would have required all physicians and health care facilities to use ePrescribing as a condition for licensure. The State Society opposed making ePrescribing a condition for licensure.
The bill has been referred to the House Health and Human Services Committee.
Last Updated: 8/5/2008