Blue Cross to give free PDAs to doctors

Say goodbye to paper prescription slips, they could be on the way out.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina announced today that it is putting free pocket computers in the hands of 1,000 doctors in an effort to get more physicians writing prescriptions electronically.

Officials with the state's largest health insurer say each doctor equipped with a handheld will save the organization about $3,000 a year by linking to a system that automatically weeds out pricey prescription options.

Patients will benefit from lower drug costs, faster prescription processing and fewer mistakes, since doctors will have more patient history available at their fingertips, officials say.

"We believe so strongly that it will improve prescription accuracy and lower prescription drug costs for all North Carolinians," said Bob Greczyn, Blue Cross president and CEO.

The push is part of a larger effort by the health-care industry to embrace electronic medical records, which could help control soaring costs.

Blue Cross will provide the 1,000 doctors with free handheld personal digital assistants, software and wireless network hardware.

The company, which covers 3.3 million members, wants to eventually get all doctors in its state network to toss their prescription pads in favor of handhelds.

Blue Cross affiliates in Massachusetts, Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania also have undertaken the initiative.