Blue Cross of California Announces Information Technology Program for Safety Net Physicians
Blue Cross of California on Thursday announced an additional $2 million for a program to provide clinical and administrative technology to 1,040 physicians who provide care to uninsured and low-income California residents as part of an effort to improve efficiency and patient care. The project, which also is intended to provide clinicians with access to information through the Internet or on wireless devices, will offer two technology packages. The first is a handheld tool for electronic prescribing, including a computerized physician order entry function to warn doctors about potential prescription drug interactions or allergies and provide information about new treatment options. Along with the handheld, physicians will receive a wireless access point and a one-year subscription to an e-prescribing service to let them fax or e-mail prescriptions to pharmacies. The second option includes a desktop computer and printer to support online physician communication, such as electronic claims submission, payments and patient information access. This option is meant for doctors who are not using the Internet or computers daily. The program is an expansion of a $40 million initiative launched last January by Blue Cross' parent company WellPoint Health Networks (Blue Cross of California release, 5/6).
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