Minnesota to mandate e-prescribing
Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has passed legislation to mandate the use of e-prescribing technology and require implemented EHR systems to be certified by Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT).
The 2008 Minnesota Health Care Reform Act provisions of the law are designed to increase the availability and coverage of health insurance, improve chronic care management, reform payment processes, make pricing and quality data transparent and fund programs to combat tobacco use and obesity. The law also requires a study on ways to reduce claims adjudication costs and adopt more uniform methods of processing claims.
The new law mandates use of e-prescribing by Jan. 1, 2011. Prescribers and dispensers must use either the HL7 messaging standards or the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs’ SCRIPT standard to transmit prescriptions and prescription-related information.
While the law does not mandate use of EHRs, it ensures EHR systems are interoperable and must be CCHIT-certified. The law also requires that EHRs must meet the e-prescribing provisions.
The 2008 Minnesota Health Care Reform Act provisions of the law are designed to increase the availability and coverage of health insurance, improve chronic care management, reform payment processes, make pricing and quality data transparent and fund programs to combat tobacco use and obesity. The law also requires a study on ways to reduce claims adjudication costs and adopt more uniform methods of processing claims.
The new law mandates use of e-prescribing by Jan. 1, 2011. Prescribers and dispensers must use either the HL7 messaging standards or the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs’ SCRIPT standard to transmit prescriptions and prescription-related information.
While the law does not mandate use of EHRs, it ensures EHR systems are interoperable and must be CCHIT-certified. The law also requires that EHRs must meet the e-prescribing provisions.