CMS delays ban on faxed prescriptions

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has extended its deadline for banning faxed prescriptions by three years, moving the Jan. 1, 2009, deadline to Jan. 1, 2012. The deadline change is included in the 2009 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule announced by CMS on Oct. 30. The agency reversed its position "in the interest of patient care and safety and to encourage prescribers and dispensers to adopt e-prescribing," according to a release.