CMS ePrescribing Conference

If you would have told me there would be ~1,500 people gathering from around the country on ePrescribing with multiple Governors, a Senator and CMS officials only 2,3, or 4 years ago, I would have said you where nuts.

The media coverage is below, here is my spin. First with all of the vendors, people and press it was a very energizing place. Our Governor Deval Patrick gave some prepared opening remarks that seemed kind of canned. The Governor of the Island of Rhode, Donald Carcieri followed. He was much more conversational; rarely referring to notes and seemed to me have more ‘skin in the game’. Someone must have slipped him a note “Senator Kerry is not coming (death in the Bidden family), talk for as long as you possibly can”. He did. Most speakers (and questioners) wandered off to more grandeur themes and topics. Some highlights:

Massachusetts is the “caddle for eHealth Reform” as the #1 ePrescribing state in the country.

4 million or 14% of total prescriptions are electronic.
We have also secured a Medicaid wavier to continue our health insurance mandate.

Given that Deval and Barrack are buddies this may be the national template sooner not later.

Rhode Island has been flip flopping with the Commonwealth on being #1 for the last few years. But hey they only 30 miles X 40 miles of territory to deal with.

Over the last 3 months 20% of the Rxs are eRx’s and should be #1 next year.
The Social Security problem is easy. It is actuarial. Politically it is a bitch, but the solution is quite easy.
Healthcare reform and payment is very, very difficult.
HIT is key (you all understand this)
RI has a cool public-private health information exchange in the works.

Kevin Marvin, Pharmacy Informatics Guru, slips me a note on his solution to world peace or at least drug cost savings:

Eliminate Medicaid Rebates
Eliminate Direct to Consumer adds
Adopt RxNorm as a standard (it was some other more articulate statement, but that is what I interrupted and remember)

Secretary Levitt of HHS has a very good story about the demise of Argentina and the potential road to ruin we are on. My take away: do not let the RPh license lapse, it might get really ugly on a economic scale. On a positive not the connection with cell phone and Airlines was upbeat.

Way to deal with Change

Fight it
Accept it
Lead it

Session Highlights (see Slide Links below)
CMS has all Plan formularies in a codified manner for a nominal fee per Tracey McCutcheon, Deputy Director of Medicare Drug Benefit and C&D Data Group, Center for Drug and Health Plan Choice.