The Drug Enforcement
Administration will soon propose a rule change to allow doctors to prescribe
painkillers and other potentially dangerous drugs electronically.
The rule would lift the
ban at least partially, said DEA spokeswoman Rogene Waite, adding, "We're
close to publication at this point."
Under current rules,
doctors cannot legally use electronic systems to send prescriptions for
controlled substances to pharmacies. The rules require a paper prescription
with the doctor's signature.
Experts say the limitation
has hampered the adoption of e-prescribing technology because it's inconvenient
for doctors to use two different means of writing prescriptions. Controlled
substances account for about 20 percent of prescriptions.
Waite declined to say when
the proposed rule would be published or which of the several categories of
controlled substances it would cover.
Under the federal
rule-making process, agencies must publish proposed rules in the Federal
Register and give the public time to comment on them. After reviewing those
comments, agencies typically publish a final version of the rule.
DEA has been under
pressure to change its e-prescribing rules for some time. In December 2007, 19
senators signed a letter to the Justice Department, the DEA's parent agency,
urging officials to address their security concerns rather than continue
postponing progress on adopting the technology.
DEA officials have said
they are concerned that e-prescribing systems are not secure and could be used
to obtain drugs illegally. Experts say prescription drugs are becoming more
widely abused than illegal drugs such as cocaine and marijuana.
Health information
technology advocates say e-prescribing could encourage more doctors to use
electronic health record systems, which promise to improve care and reduce
costs.
Pending legislation in the
Senate to avert cuts in Medicare reimbursements would require doctors to use
e-prescribing by 2011 or face a reduction in their Medicare fees. Those
provisions would cut Medicare outlays by $2 billion or $2.5 billion, depending
on which version of the legislation is enacted, said Peter Orszag, Director of the
Congressional Budget Office.