SureScript Completes E-Prescribing Agreements

SureScript Systems has completed a series of agreements to introduce a common electronic prescribing system that will cover most US drug stores belonging to pharmacy chains.

The e-pharmacy organisation was established as a joint venture by the National Community Pharmacists Association and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores — which between them represent 55,000 independent and chain pharmacies in America.

SureScripts believes e-prescribing could eliminate up to 60% of the estimated 900m phone calls and faxes between family physicians and pharmacists in the US each year.

The pharmacy chains, covering over 21,000 drug stores, have committed to use SureScripts’ e-prescription connectivity gateway and to commit the resources needed to implement SureScripts in their pharmacies.

SureScripts will work with the chains to establish a physician-to-pharmacy connection for electronic prescribing and renewal authorisation through their existing pharmacy software. The new SureScripts gateway will be available from early 2003.

Under the agreement SureScripts will provide services to enable secure transmission of electronic prescriptions messages from physicians to pharmacists. These will cover requests for new prescriptions, repeat prescriptions, changes and cancellations and other information relevant to patient drug utilisation and compliance.

According to SureScripts, an estimated three billion prescriptions were dispensed in the US in 2001 with as many as 450 million requiring authorisations for additional refills before they were dispensed. This resulted in more than 900 million phone calls and faxes between physicians and pharmacies.

Studies show that an e-prescribing system that directly connects physicians’ and pharmacists’ applications can reduce these calls and faxes by as much as 60 percent and replace them with much more time efficient online messages.

SureScript says that electronic transmission of prescriptions not only minimises time spent on the phone and fax, but ensures that prescriptions reach the patient’s pharmacy of choice quickly, accurately, securely, and in a form that is readily useable by the pharmacy.

Electronic prescribing is also claimed to cut out errors due to illegible handwriting or "sound-alike" medications ordered over the phone.

SureScripts says that it is working with leading US healthcare technology vendors to create an open, efficient system that is compatible with all major physician systems and pharmacy systems software.

The introduction of electronic transfer of prescriptions — termed ETP — forms one of the central planks of the NHS National IT Programme being funded by the taxpayer.

It calls for a "national prescriptions service" to be 50% implemented by December 2005 and 100% implemented by December 2007. Three ETP pilots are currently underway.

This government-led approach is in marked contrast with the US where an open national e-prescribing system is being developed by SureScript – a joint venture between two industry bodies representing big chains and independent pharmacies.