New Jersey Blues parent Horizon Healthcare Services is the latest health plan to try to nudge physicians in its area along the e-prescribing path. Horizon has signed a deal with EMR and e-prescribing player Allscripts in which selected physicians will be given connectivity tools and PDAs with ePrescribing software installed. Thus far similar technology initiatives by Wellpoint and BCBS of Massachusetts have had slow starts, but recent presentations at the TEPR conference suggest that physician uptake of e-prescribing is picking up, and vendors continue to value these health plan relationships as a way to access independent physicians.
- see this press release from Allscripts