Edge, Allscripts partner

Edge Health Solutions will use Allscripts' enterprise version of ePrescribe in its future Mac-based medical software. Allscripts ePrescribe software provides prescription-ordering support for Mac users. The move comes as a 2009 electronic prescription initiative is about to begin, where physicians who prescribe medications electronically will be paid up to 2 percent of their annual Medicare billings, while physicians who fail to use the technology may be penalized an equal amount after 2012.

The new monetary inducements put online prescription software in demand, according to Chief Executive Officer of Allscripts Glen Tullman. He said, "Our partnership with Edge will ensure that physicians are able to realize all the benefits of electronically prescribing medications, no matter which technology platform or operating system they use. Our new partnership with Edge permits [edge's] clients and others who prefer Mac to seamlessly migrate their patient's demographic data into Allscripts ePrescribe and begin writing electronic prescriptions in as little as ten minutes."

ePrescribe replaces paper prescriptions with web-based technology that provides automatic safety checks and helps to avoid dangerous medication errors attributed to illegible handwriting. Allscripts ePrescribe is offered at no charge to every physician in America via the National ePrescribing Patient Safety Initiative. Edge will integrate ePrescribe into its Software (such as edgeMD and edgeDMS) as a Service model over the internet, allowing for constant access from any location.

by MacNN Staff