A new e-prescribing regulation issued by the Centers forMedicare & Medicaid Services this week is expected to reduce the number ofsevere and adverse drug reactions among Medicare beneficiaries.

The rule adopts four standards for use in e-prescribing:Formulary and Benefits, Medication History, Fill Status Notification, and TheNational Provider Identifier, which will be used to verify the identity ofhealthcare providers.

CMS officials are hopeful that establishing standards fore-prescribing will pave the way for more widespread implementation ofe-prescribing technology throughout the entire healthcare field. The newpolicies will take effect on April 1, 2009.

To review the rule, please visithttp://www.cms.hhs.gov/EPrescribing/.