Coalition promises free e-Rx technology to all MDs

This will cut errors and make things much more convenient for patients. No more waiting with a sick child while the pharmacy fills a prescription. It will be ready and waiting now.

Not exactly. The pharmacy will most likely wait until you arrive to confirm things like your insurance. Also pediatric antibiotics need refrigeration and have a limited shelf life, so those will be filled when you arrive. What it will hopefully due is reduce errors, and if integrated with your pharmacy can alert the doctor to other meds you are one they may interact. Great in an ED when the doc doesn't have your records and you don't speak english or are semi-conscious.

I have sold an E prescribe system and have experience with it from a bigger perspective. First of all, it doesn't have many of the newer state of the art medications loaded into the system. Some systems take an act of congress to get loaded or never will if they are not a covered "preferred" item on Insurance formulary. Thus locking out the option for revolutionary newer type products.
In addition, some of the capibilities transmitt the script to the Pharmacy for the patient. Biggest problem here is it screws the small indepedent pharmacy that may not have the link to that office or be cut out by a larger, powerful chain ie., Rite Aid, Walgreens, CVS, Krogers, WalMart, Target, you name it.
There are many pluses to E prescribe, but there will be many downfalls as well. Our information will be more vunerable for scrunity by Insurance companies, possible employers, etc., Although they say our medical info is safe, how safe is it when we have identity theft every day?
I think it shouldn't be a mandatory thing (electronic prescribing) but rather a call by each individual provider.