E-prescribing, often referred to as e-prescribing, is a fairly new and innovative way for doctors and other medical personnel to prescribe medications and keep track of patients' medical information patients history. Not only has e-prescribing allowed prescribers to electronically send a prescription to the pharmacy of patients' choice, but in the short time it has been available, it has also significantly reduced healthcare costs, not just for the patient, but for the doctor . also the structures. In 2003, electronic prescribing was included in the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA), which kicked off the role of electronic prescribing in healthcare. It has been shown to significantly reduce the annual number of medication errors and prescription fraud, and its widespread publicity has helped raise awareness of the role of electronic prescribing in improving patient safety. Even though it hasn't been in practice for long, e-prescribing has already had a positive impact on the field of healthcare. Electronic prescribing is defined as “the ability of a prescriber to directly electronically send an accurate, error-free, and understandable prescription to a pharmacy at the point of care” (cms.gov). Electronic prescribing “represents an unprecedented opportunity to reduce healthcare costs and improve the safety and efficiency of a process that millions of patients rely on every day” (surescripts.com) Provides the doctor with access to information about the patient's prescription benefits and prescription history, such as allergies, etc. The electronic prescription is sent, electronically, from the doctor's computer, through a closed and secure network, directly to the pharmacy of the patient's choice. It will arrive at the pharmacy before the patient leaves the doctor's office of paper and the patient... in the middle of the paper... has reduced the illegal distribution of prescription drugs Reduces medical costs for the patient by allowing the doctor to view the patient's insurance coverage for certain drugs and. provide lists of similar generic drugs. Electronic prescribing is just part of the U.S. government's goal to gradually adopt standards that will ease the transition to all electronic health records for citizens. Although it has only been available for a short time, e-prescribing has already had an extraordinarily large impact on the medical field. References http://www.ama-assn.org/resources/doc/hit/clinicians-guide-erx. PDFhttps://www.cms.gov/EPrescribing/http://www.popcenter.org/problems/prescription_fraud/http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/07/excellus_blue_cross_blue_shiel.htmlhttp: //www.wgrz.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=79194