A new national poll reveals that seniors in rural areas want their Medicare providers to be required to use e-prescribing, bolstering support for the Medicare Electronic Medication Protection Act of 2007.

The survey was conducted by Ayres McHenry and Associates of Virginia, a national public opinion and public affairs research firm. The survey polled 600 seniors in rural counties throughout the country on Nov. 28-29.

The poll found by a margin of 48 to 25 percent that seniors in these areas think e-prescribing is a good idea even if it means that more time and money is spent by their doctors to meet these requirements.

Forty-eight percent of seniors also agreed that if rural doctors are required to use e-prescribing, they should be given additional financial assistance and time to do so.

The Medicare Electronic Medication and Safety Protection Act of 2007, which will require that Medicare physicians begin to prescribe electronically, will save lives and money, and also fits perfectly into any Medicare package being discussed on Capitol Hill, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association said yesterday.