The Nation's Orthopaedic Surgeons Join Provider-LED Electronic Prescribing Initiative

WASHINGTON, DC, Oct 05 (MARKET WIRE) --
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) today announced their
participation in "Get Connected," a program designed to help more of the
nation's physicians and other prescribers use electronic prescribing. Now
backed by 17 of the nation's leading medical associations, Get Connected
is intended to help physicians and other prescribers take advantage of
current Medicare incentives aimed at increasing the adoption and use of
e-prescribing. Beginning in 2011, incentives may also be available to
physicians and other prescribers who use e-prescribing as part of an
electronic health record. These additional incentives fall under the
HITECH provisions within the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

"There are many different activities driving the adoption of electronic
prescribing by orthopaedic surgeons," said Stephen Makk, MD, MBA, Chair of
the AAOS Practice Management Committee. "Two key drivers are the
CMS-sponsored E-Prescribing Incentive Program and the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Through participation in the Get Connected
program, the AAOS goal is to provide members with an expanded resource
where they can obtain comprehensive information and support on best
practices for adoption of necessary technologies for secure, direct
electronic connectivity to pharmacies and payer organizations."

During the next four years, Medicare is providing incentive payments to
eligible professionals who are successful electronic prescribers, as
defined by the Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act
(MIPPA). Eligible professionals receive a 2 percent incentive payment in
2009 and 2010; a 1 percent incentive payment in 2011 and 2012; and a 0.5
percent incentive payment in 2013. Beginning January 1, 2009, those
physicians using a qualified system to send electronic prescriptions (at
the rate defined by MIPPA) started to receive higher levels of
reimbursement under Medicare. A qualified system must be able to do all
of the following:

1. Generate a medication list
2. Select medications, transmit prescriptions electronically using the
applicable standards, and warn the physician of possible undesirable or
unsafe situations
3. Provide information on lower-cost, therapeutically appropriate
alternatives
4. Provide information on formulary or tiered formulary medications,
patient eligibility, and authorization requirements received
electronically from the patient's drug plan

Go to www.surescripts.com/certified to view a list of systems that
have been certified and the functionality for which they have been
certified. Physicians and other prescribers should check with their
vendor to confirm that their system is qualified under MIPPA guidelines
and to request activation of services that deliver the required
functionality.

The focal point of the Get Connected program is an online portal --
www.GetRxConnected.org -- where physicians and other prescribers can
follow a step-by-step process designed to help them transition from
paper-based prescribing to e-prescribing. Since its launch in March 2008,
the Get Connected program has generated significant results:

-- Thousands of communications from participating medical societies to
their members promoting GetRxConnected.org and educating members on e-
prescribing
-- More than 6,800 completed technology assessments
-- More than 2,400 prescribers subsequently got connected

Electronic prescribing, or "e-prescribing," replaces the need for
handwritten, printed or faxed prescriptions and is seen as a more accurate
and efficient means of prescribing medications. Because it is paperless,
e-prescribing is also regarded as a secure alternative to paper
prescriptions that can be stolen, copied, forged and otherwise
manipulated.

In addition to the AAOS, Get Connected is supported by the:

-- American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)
-- American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)
-- American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO)
-- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
-- American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA)
-- American College of Cardiology (ACC)
-- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)
-- American College of Physicians (ACP)
-- American Gastroenterological Association (AGA)
-- American Optometric Association (AOA)
-- American Osteopathic Association (AOA)
-- American Urological Association (AUA)
-- Connecticut State Medical Society
-- Medical Group Management Association (MGMA)
-- Tennessee State Medical Association
-- Texas Medical Association (TMA)

If you are a member of a state medical society or national provider
organization and would like to get more information about how your
membership can Get Connected for e-prescribing, please contact Kate Berry
(kate.berry@surescripts.com), executive director at The Center for
Improving Medication Management and senior vice president for business
development at Surescripts.

Created under the auspices of The Center for Improving Medication
Management (founded by the AAFP, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association,
Humana Inc., Intel Corporation, the MGMA and Surescripts),
GetRxConnected.org contains urgent information and guidance for thousands
of physicians and other prescribers located throughout the United States
that are currently using electronic medical record (EMR) and other
clinical software to fax prescriptions to pharmacies. Computer-generated
faxing of prescriptions prevents physicians and other prescribers from
achieving the gains in practice efficiency and patient safety associated
with e-prescribing. (Important Note to Physicians and Other Prescribers
Using EMRs: Most EMR users believe that they already send prescriptions
to pharmacies electronically -- i.e., they are unaware that it is far
more likely that their EMR is generating faxes that arrive on paper at
the pharmacy's fax machine. Physicians and other prescribers using EMR
systems that can only send computer-generated, faxed prescriptions will
not be eligible for the Medicare incentives for e-prescribing.)

How to Get Connected

Following the completion of a brief self-assessment on GetRxConnected.org,
physicians and their staffs can find out if the software brand and version
they are using is certified to generate e-prescriptions compliant with the
National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) SCRIPT standard,
as required by the new Medicare incentives. The SCRIPT standard
facilitates the electronic transmission of prescriptions and
prescription-related information.

The Get Connected program is equally intended for physicians, nurse
practitioners, physician assistants and practice management professionals
who have yet to invest in EMR or other clinical software. The portal
provides guidance on how to evaluate and acquire technology that supports
e-prescribing. GetRxConnected.org also helps physicians, nurse
practitioners, physician assistants and practice management professionals
assess the financial impact of e-prescribing using an interactive feature
that allows them to calculate an estimate of the time and resources their
practice is currently dedicating to the manual processing of
prescriptions.

About AAOS

An orthopaedic surgeon is a physician with extensive training in the
diagnosis and non-surgical as well as surgical treatment of the
musculoskeletal system, including bones, joints, ligaments, tendons,
muscles and nerves. With more than 35,000 members, the American Academy of
Orthopaedic Surgeons (www.aaos.org) or (www.orthoinfo.org) is the premier
not-for-profit organization that provides education programs for
orthopaedic surgeons and allied health professionals, champions the
interests of patients and advances the highest quality musculoskeletal
health. Orthopaedic surgeons and the Academy are the authoritative sources
of information for patients and the general public on musculoskeletal
conditions, treatments and related issues. An advocate for improved
patient care, the Academy is participating in the Bone and Joint Decade
(www.usbjd.org) -- the global initiative in the years 2002-2011 -- to
raise awareness of musculoskeletal health, stimulate research and improve
people's quality of life.

About The Center for Improving Medication Management

The Center for Improving Medication Management is committed to
understanding how technology improves the way medications are prescribed
and used safely and effectively by millions of patients every day. The
Center was founded by the American Academy of Family Physicians, Blue
Cross Blue Shield Association, Humana Inc., Intel Corporation, the
Medical Group Management Association and Surescripts. For more
information, visit www.theCIMM.org.

Press Contacts:
Rob Cronin
For The Center for Improving Medication Management
917-414-5289
rob.cronin@surescripts.com

Lauren Pearson
AAOS Media Relations
847-384-4031
lpearson@aaos.org

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