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June 12, 2008 ... Sen. Richard T. Moore, D - Uxbridge, presented the 2008 Surescripts Safe Rx Award to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Dr. JudyAnn Bigby, in the Senate Reading Room of the State House. For the second consecutive year, Massachusetts has been recognized as number one in the nation for patient safety and practice efficiency, through the use of electronic prescribing technology. This is the third annual award given by Safe Rx. "I am honored and privileged to present the Safe Rx Award to Secretary Bigby for the second year in a row now," said Sen. Moore. "Massachusetts has shown dedication to electronic prescribing, and to making patient safety top priority. Clearly, the Commonwealth has accomplished a lot in the field of electronic prescribing, as we are being recognized as first in the nation once again." Since launching its program in 2004, Massachusetts has seen more than 10.8 million electronic prescriptions passed throughout its network. Safe Rx reports that 13.43 percent of prescriptions in 2007 were submitted electronically, and that there has been a 66 percent growth in e-prescribers. "Massachusetts is the nation's leader in e-prescribing and we're always pushing the curve in medical technology," said Sen. John F. Kerry, D - Massachusetts, who was unable to attend the ceremony in the Senate Reading Room. "Earlier this year [in Washington, D.C.], I was honored to accept the Safe-Rx Award on behalf of our state's care providers, physicians and pharmacists. Today that award is where it belongs - with all of you who've worked so hard to improve the quality of health care. This is a proud, proud moment for all of us here in Massachusetts, and I'm excited that our success is a model for states across the country," Kerry concluded. Senator Kerry recently introduced the E-Meds Act, which is the leading electronic prescription bill in Congress. Based on the lead of the Massachusetts program, the legislation has broad bi-partisan support, as well as the support of President Bush. The bill would foster the adoption of e-prescribing by providing permanent Medicare funding for payment bonuses to physicians who acquire e-prescribing technology Senator Kerry's legislation is an indication of the success of the Massachusetts model that has been awarded by Safe Rx, and that has been advocated tirelessly by Sen. Moore. Senate President Therese Murray, D- Plymouth, has also included electronic prescribing within the health care quality and cost containment proposal, which recently passed the Senate and is currently before the House of Representatives. The success of electronic prescribing in Massachusetts is also indicative of the wide array of support that e-prescribing technology generally receives. Continuing the evidence of this support, Nonnie Burnes, Commissioner of the Division of Insurance (DOI), said "We at the DOI are happy that Massachusetts is once again ranked first in the nation for e-prescribing and that our state will continue to be highly ranked in the future." "It is an honor to accept this award on behalf of the Commonwealth and the Patrick Administration," said Dr. JudyAnn Bigby, Secretary of Health and Human Services. "Patient safety through interventions like electronic prescribing is an important focus of many health care leaders in the state." As Chairman of the Healthcare Financing Committee, Sen. Moore was more than thrilled to accept and present the award to Secretary Bigby, and was pleased to reflect on the hard work accomplished in Massachusetts. "I hope that Massachusetts will retain this award in the years to come", Moore said. "I'm confident that this is an accomplishment the state can repeat for the future, and I will be proud when we get every prescriber in Massachusetts to utilize this vital technology" |
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