Use of electronic prescribing in Medicare could prevent as many as 1.9 million medication errors and save the program as much as $29 billon over the next 10 years, Mark Merritt, CEO of Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, said on Wednesday, CQ HealthBeat reports. According to supporters, e-prescribing could help prevent medication errors related to illegible prescriptions, overuse and adverse reactions. Merritt said that Congress this fall would consider legislation to require physicians who participate in Medicare to use e-prescribing.

A study published on Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that deaths from adverse medication reactions have almost tripled since 1998, and the results could…