WellPoint Health Networks Inc. and Microsoft Corp. today announced their selection of Allscripts Healthcare Solutions (Nasdaq: MDRX) and Zix Corp. (ZixCorp) (Nasdaq: ZIXI) to provide electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) solutions for a technology initiative WellPoint announced in January. A recent report produced by the Foundation for eHealth Initiative estimates that nationwide implementation of e-prescribing technologies could save the healthcare system $29 billion a year by reducing medication errors, decreasing duplication of services and increasing use of generic drugs, ultimately improving the quality of patient care.

The Prescription Improvement Package is part of the $40 million initiative. It offers physicians a wireless, handheld electronic prescribing unit, a wireless access point and a one-year subscription to an e-prescribing service, all of which will allow physicians to electronically generate prescriptions while reducing administrative costs and improving their communications with patients and pharmacists. Using the Prescription Improvement Package, physicians can easily write prescriptions that can be electronically transmitted to the pharmacy of their choice. Almost 19,000 contracting WellPoint network physicians in California, Georgia, Missouri and Wisconsin have been invited to participate in this program, which is entirely funded by WellPoint. There is no charge to the physicians.