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Who is Surescripts?

Surescripts operates the nation's largest e-prescription network and supports a rapidly expanding ecosystem of health care organizations nationwide. Surescripts was founded on the principles of neutrality, transparency, interoperability, efficiency, collaboration and quality. Surescripts connects prescribers in all 50 states through their choice of e-prescribing software to the nation's leading payers, chain pharmacies and independent pharmacies. Available during emergencies or routine care, The Nation's E-Prescription Network gives health care providers secure, low-cost, electronic access to prescription and health information that can save their patients' lives, improve efficiency and reduce the cost of health care for all.

What is E-Prescribing?

E-prescribing supports a shift to a paperless and more informed way for prescribers, payers and pharmacists to make better clinical decisions and improve clinical workflows related to medication management. E-prescribing occurs when a prescriber uses a computer or handheld device with software that enables a prescriber to:

• Electronically Access That Patient's Prescription Benefit: Electronically accessing a patient's prescription benefit information - both formulary and eligibility - allows prescribers to choose medications that are on formulary and are covered by the patient's drug benefit. Prescribers can also choose lower-cost alternatives such as generic drugs. Dispensing pharmacies are less likely to receive prescriptions that require changes based on the patient's drug benefit, which, in turn, reduces unnecessary phone calls from pharmacy staff to physician practices regarding drug coverage.

• With a Patient's Consent, Electronically Access that Patient's Medication History: Electronically accessing a patient's medication history allows prescribers to receive critically important information on their patients' current and past prescriptions and to become better informed about potential medication issues with their patients (e.g., catching potentially harmful drug-to-drug and drug-allergy interactions).
  
  Prescribers can use this information to improve safety and quality. And - by understanding the cycle of dispensing related to a prescription - prescribers can gain insight into a patient's medication adherence.

• Electronically Route the Prescription to the Patient's Choice of Pharmacy: Exchanging prescription information electronically between prescribers and pharmacies improves the accuracy of the prescribing process and saves time. Time savings primarily result from reduced pharmacy phone calls and faxes related to prescription renewal authorizations as well as from a reduced need for pharmacy staff to key in prescription data.

Who Created Surescripts?

Surescripts is the result of a 2008 merger between the country's two leading health information networks: RxHub and Surescripts. RxHub was founded in 2001 by the nation's three largest PBMs - CVS Caremark Corporation, Express Scripts, Inc. and Medco Health Solutions, Inc. Surescripts was also formed in 2001 by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) and the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA).

Who owns Surescripts?

Surescripts is privately owned by the founders of Surescripts and RxHub: NACDS and NCPA own 50 percent with the balance split evenly between CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and Medco Health Solutions

Where is Surescripts located?

Surescripts maintains two offices, one in St. Paul, MN and one in Arlington, VA.

What is Surescripts role outside the Nation’s E-Prescription Network?

Simply put, Surescripts makes e-prescribing work. In order to ensure the success of e-prescribing, Surescripts supports the e-prescribing ecosystem by providing many services free of charge, including:

Certification - Surescripts consistently applies objective and defensible standards for certification technology systems (in excess of 250 certified entities today).

Industry-Wide Quality - Surescripts is focused on improving the end-to-end quality of the e-prescribing process by working with customers and other stakeholders to avert potential issues in order to promote patient safety and e-prescribing.

Certification and Compliance - Surescripts conducts audits of technology vendors and connected entities to ensure compliance with standards and commitments for connectivity.

Standards Development - Surescripts works with NCPDP, CCHIT, HITSP and other standards bodies to develop and evolve standards in the industry.

Education and Collaboration - Surescripts engages with national, state and regional entities to develop educational programs, adoption and utilization programs, quality initiatives, and dialogue to support the future growth of e-prescribing and health IT.

Support - Surescripts provides technical assistance and resources to support physicians, pharmacies, payers and vendors through its account management team and 24/7 Electronic Prescribing Resource Center.

Center for Improving Medication Management -The Center is a collaborative forum that establishes specific priorities to demonstrate the value of pharmacy interoperability with patients and physicians to improve the medication management process.

Monthly Participant Calls and Bi-Annual Participant Workshops - Surescripts hosts regular events with network participants to inform them of developments and best practices around e-prescribing.

Pilot Programs - Surescripts participates in and supports CMS, AHRQ and other public/private pilot programs.

How does Surescripts safeguard personal health information?

Protecting the security and confidentiality of personal health information is of extreme importance to Surescripts. To read how we go about this, check out our privacy policy.

Why is e-prescribing important?

E-prescribing represents an unprecedented opportunity to reduce healthcare costs and improve the safety and efficiency of a process relied upon by millions of patients every day. More specifically, e-prescribing benefits physicians, pharmacists, payers and they patients they serve in a number of ways:

Benefits to physicians

• Displays economic alternatives for patients
• Eliminates errors from poor handwriting or faxing
• Reduces pharmacy callbacks
• More convenient for patients
• Less time spent on renewals
• Opportunity to improve patient adherence

Benefits to pharmacies

• More prescriptions arrive "clean", less rework
• Allows more time with patients
• Reduces opportunity for errors
• Preserves patient choice of pharmacy
• More convenient for patients
• Opportunity to improve patient adherence

Benefits to payers

• Improves quality of care
• Drives down healthcare costs
• Saves beneficiaries money
• Reduces medication errors

For more information about how this is happening throughout the U.S. today, click here.

How many physicians, pharmacies and payers use e-prescribing?

For the latest figures on e-prescribing use in the U.S., visit the E-Prescribing Statistics page at www.surescripts.com/stats.