Highmark to spend $29 million on e-prescribing, EHR initiative

PITTSBURGH Health insurer Highmark is spending $29 million to help physicians adopt electronic prescribing and electronic health record technology, the company announced Friday.

The company attempted to launch a similar initiative in 2005, contributing the money, via the Highmark eHealth Collaborative, through The Pittsburgh Foundation, but that has been stalled due to an Internal Revenue Service review of the collaborative’s non-profit status. Under this initiative, Highmark will give the money directly to doctors.

Highmark will cover 75 percent of the cost, or $7,000 per physician, to buy and install electronic medical administration and prescription systems that eliminate paper processing and improve patient safety and cost effectiveness while reducing the number of errors. The grant application process, which has been ongoing during the past two-and-a-half years, is now closed. The company expects to be able to award the grants to more than 4,000 doctors and health systems.