McClellan Endorses Electronic Prescribing

During the National Electronic Prescribing Conference (April 14, 2004, Washington, DC) Mark McClellan, MD, PhD, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), voiced his support for using information technology and electronic prescribing to improve health care. He also highlighted CMS's commitments and actions to foster improved quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness of health care using technology.

Dr. McClellan discussed stretching health care dollars by developing improved comparative information, new steps to apply electronic prescriptions, and new voluntary choices for drug coverage. He also covered the Medicare-endorsed drug discount card, the new Medicare Compare Tool, work of the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics in providing input to standards, and financial incentives to encourage investments in developing and implementing systems.