Group Health Incorporated (GHI) and Medix Resources recently introduced a 12-month Point of Care pilot program in New York City that allows certain participating GHI physicians to send prescriptions to pharmacies and access their patients' pertinent prescription-related information through wireless a PDA developed by PocketScript. The Point of Care program was launched in cooperation with GHI's new pharmacy benefit manager, Express Scripts.

The Point of Care pilot program, which the companies said has been offered at no cost to approximately 90 GHI participating physicians primarily located in Staten Island, enables these physicians to view their patients' prescription history via the PDA. Formulary coverage, drug-to-drug interactions, and available prescription history, along with other relevant information, can be retrieved by using a keyboard or through a voice-recognition system.

"Our ability to offer physicians leading-edge electronic prescribing technologies optimizes time management by reducing prescription-related paperwork and phone calls. It is also intended to reduce potential medical errors by giving physicians a snapshot of a patient's prescription history and by making handwritten prescriptions obsolete. Point of Care is an extension of our commitment to serving the GHI provider community. We are pleased to be working with PocketScript and Medix on this important initiative," said Frank J. Branchini, President and Chief Executive Officer of GHI.