E-Prescription Networks to Merge - SureScripts & RxHub

[Pharmacy Technology Resource, LLC]

E-Prescription Networks to Merge
New Company Hopes to Reduce Medicine-Dispensing Errors


The nation's two electronic prescription networks plan to announce
today that they are merging in an effort to encourage the adoption of
their technology by doctors and patients.

Alexandria-based SureScripts and St. Paul, Minn.-based RxHub are
extensions of different parts of the pharmaceutical industry.
SureScripts is owned by retail and independent pharmacies; RxHub is
owned by three major drug benefit managers, which are also mail-order
pharmacies. The companies say they hope the broader use of the
technology will cut down on costs and medical mistakes.

For about seven years, the firms have tried to persuade doctors to
dump handwritten prescriptions in favor of sending prescriptions
electronically to pharmacies and mail-order suppliers. But doctors
have been slow to adopt. Only 2 percent of the 1.5 billion annual
prescriptions are submitted electronically to pharmacies.


Original news-story posted:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/30/AR2008063002072_pf.html

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