MINNEAPOLIS, June 4, 2008—Gov. Tim Pawlenty has signed legislation to mandate the use of electronic prescription technology and require implemented electronic health records systems to be certified by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT).

The provisions are in Senate File 3780, mandating use of electronic prescribing by Jan. 1, 2011.

The law mandates that prescribers and dispensers use either the Health Level Seven messaging standards or the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs’ SCRIPT standard to transmit prescriptions and prescription-related information.

The law does not mandate use of electronic health records. But to ensure EHR systems are interoperable, they must be CCHIT-certified. Further, the EHRs must meet the e-prescribing provisions of the law.

For text of the bill, go to leg.state.mn.us/leg/legis.asp, click on "Bill Search/Status" and enter SF 3780 in the search box.