Software allows electronic prescribing direct to pharmacy

SureScript Systems signs up retail pharmacy chains to a network linking physician offices with pharmacies.

By Tyler Chin, AMNews staff. Nov. 11, 2002.

SureScript Systems Inc. has signed up several national pharmacy chains that have agreed to use its network to exchange electronic prescriptions and related transactions directly with physician offices.

In October, the Alexandria, Va., company, owned by two major pharmacy retail trade groups, signed up 16 pharmacy chains representing more than 21,000 of the nation's approximately 55,000 retail pharmacies.

CVS Corp., Eckerd Corp., Longs Drug Stores, Rite Aid Corp., Walgreen Co., Albertsons Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. are among the pharmacy chains that have agreed to use SureScript's network and "transaction engine" software, said Kevin Hutchinson, SureScript's CEO. That software lets physicians' and pharmacies' information systems talk to each other and routes a prescription to the patient's pharmacy of choice, he said.

SureScript is testing its network, which will be rolled out in the first quarter of 2003. It hopes that by lining up a critical mass of pharmacies it will be able to persuade doctors and information system vendors to use its system, Hutchinson said.

While many have tried to get doctors and pharmacies to adopt electronic prescribing, each has waited for the other to move first, he said.

SureScript expects to announce more pharmacy chain signings soon and is talking with companies that sell information systems to physicians and pharmacies. [...]