http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Way-cleared-for-electronic-scripts/2006/07/28/1153816347647.html
Way cleared for electronic scripts
July 28, 2006 - 6:19AM
Federal and state health ministers have cleared the way for doctors to prescribe drugs electronically, ending the days of the doctor's scrawl.
Under the changes, doctors will transmit prescriptions by email and pharmacists will be able to receive the information after swiping the patient's Medicare card.
Fairfax newspapers report health ministers saying the new system would eliminate about 400,000 adverse drug incidents a year, triggered by poorly handwritten prescriptions.
But the proposal has met opposition and concern by doctors and pharmacists.
Australian Medical Association president Mukesh Haikerwal said while doctors welcomed electronic prescriptions, they needed convincing the system was secure.
President of the Pharmacy Guild, Kos Sclavos, also said he was concerned about the risk to privacy, adding the system needed to be designed to ensure patients could have a prescription dispensed at a pharmacy of their choice.
Mr Sclavos said if doctors were allowed to direct prescriptions to particular pharmacists, there would be a risk of "channelling" deals to increase business.
Pharmacists also disputed the ministers' claims about reducing mistakes, arguing most prescriptions were already computer-generated and only a small number of doctors still wrote them out by hand.
---- Dr David G More MB, PhD, FACHI Phone +61-2-9438-2851 Fax +61-2-9906-7038 Skype Username : davidgmore E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] HealthIT Blog - www.aushealthit.blogspot.com |
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