E­-prescribing

Definition
E-Prescribing (also referred to as electronic prescribing) refers to a prescriber's ability to electronically send an accurate, error-free and understandable prescription directly to a pharmacy from the point-of-care.

Overview
The inclusion of electronic prescribing in the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) gave momentum to the movement, and the July 2006 Institute of Medicine report on the role of e-prescribing in reducing medication errors received widespread publicity, helping to build awareness of e-prescribing's role in enhancing patient safety. Adopting the standards to facilitate e-prescribing is one of the key action items in the governments plan to expedite the adoption of electronic medical records and build a national electronic health information infrastructure in the United States.