Today, fewer than one in five physicians use electronic prescribing software, but national studies have shown that 1.5 million people are injured annually from medication errors, and 7,000 of those patients die, said Nancy Dickey, president of the Health Science Center, vice chancellor for health affairs for the Texas A&M University System and former president of the American Medical Association.

However, Dickey noted that physicians, who are asked to absorb the costs of buying the software, installing it and training their staffs, typically don't reap financial benefits from its use.

Large physician groups from 10 states and the District of Columbia have signed onto the project to help encourage physician adoption of the technology.