Walgreen pharmacies filled 3.1 million electronic prescriptions in March, up by 211% from March 2008, Health Data Management reports. However, that figure represents only about 15% of eligible prescriptions.
The company expects to fill more than 40 million e-prescriptions in 2009, compared with 15 million in 2008.
The company attributes the spike in e-prescribing to Medicare's new e-prescribing incentive program (Goedert, Health Data Management, 4/14).
In January, Medicare began offering a 2% payment bonus to physicians who e-prescribe. Physicians who do not e-prescribe by 2012 could face Medicare payment cuts (iHealthBeat, 2/25).
Walgreen expects the federal economic stimulus law's health IT provisions to further increase e-prescribing (Health Data Management, 4/14). The stimulus package includes about $19 billion to expand the use of health IT (iHealthBeat, 4/7).