E-prescribing: Where's Your State?

Remember that Super Bowl ad with James Carville and Bill Frist?  Some might say Sen. John Kerry and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich could have been cast in the roles, given their visible roles within their respective parties.  Those following healthcare issues will find it no surprise, however, that they continue to be a formidable, prolific, omnipresent and - yes - bipartisan alliance in advocating electronic prescribing. 

Today, they were on hand when SureScripts announced the winners of its SafeRx Awards.  For the first time, SureScripts released its detailed state-by-state (plus the District of Columbia) rankings, based on utilization of e-prescribing.  You can see it all - from #1 to #51. 

In the interest of full disclosure, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), with the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), formed SureScripts in 2001 to advance e-prescribing. 

E-prescribing reflects the partnership among patients and all of their providers that can help to advance all of the key words associated with healthcare reform - patient-centricity, quality, access and affordability.  Today's event was a celebration of how far we've come, and a reminder of the potential still to be realized.  It is great to see that there are leaders across the political aisle, and across the nation, who are embracing it.