[img_assist|nid=30|title=Sen. John Kerry (D-Boston)|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=123|height=180]It was a big day for the Bay State's Senate delegation Wednesday, as U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Hyannis Port) triumphantly returned to the Senate chamber to cast a critical Medicare vote and U.S. Sen. John Kerry's (D-Boston) electronic prescription provision also passed through the chamber.

Kerry's "e-prescribing" provision requires physicians to use electronic prescription technology. It passed in the Senate Wednesday by a veto-proof 69 to 30 vote.

"E-Prescribing is a fundamental step towards modernizing our health care system," Kerry said in a statement.  "It will save lives by reducing medical errors and save billions of dollars."

The bill also reduces co-payment rates for senior citizens seeking mental health care and prevents payment cuts to physicians who serve senior on Medicare.