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National Community Pharmacists Association Encourages Independent Pharmacies

Posted on: Monday, 17 October 2005, 15:00 CDT

Bruce Roberts, R.Ph., executive vice president and chief executive officer of the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), issued a call to action today to independent pharmacists to join the rapidly growing trend of electronic prescribing. Increasingly, physicians are transmitting prescriptions to pharmacies electronically, improving efficiency and ensuring accuracy over traditional paper prescriptions.

"Electronic prescribing is a legitimate and influential movement in pharmacy's effort to meet the needs of our customers and our colleagues in the medical profession," Roberts told community pharmacists attending NCPA's 107th Annual Convention and Trade Exposition. "Independent pharmacists need to swiftly adopt this trend in order to play their part in advancing the profession. NCPA will continue to work to inform independent pharmacists of the merits of electronic prescribing and to demonstrate how patient care and practice efficiency will be enhanced as a result."

Chain Pharmacies Experience Efficiencies of Electronic Transactions

Currently, 70% of chain pharmacies are live on the SureScripts Electronic Prescribing Network. These pharmacies can send physicians' renewal requests electronically and have their renewal authorizations and new prescriptions sent directly into their pharmacy's computer system.

Efforts to enhance the prescribing process through a secure, interoperable infrastructure that will benefit the entire health care system are being championed by government as well as private industry. A network that is interoperable will ensure that products and programs from a variety of technology vendors will be accessible and effective in working together.

"NCPA has played a critical role in creating a model for health information technology interoperability through its establishment of SureScripts," said Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House and founder of the Center for Health Transformation. "SureScripts' technology and collaborative efforts, including their work in Rhode Island where the network was launched, underscore the importance of health IT interoperability in delivering 21st century solutions, such as e-prescribing and electronic health records, that save lives and save money."

SureScripts Deploys Technology and Drives Adoption

SureScripts is the nation's largest network provider of electronic prescribing services with more than 85% of the nation's pharmacies operating software that has been certified to connect to the SureScripts Electronic Prescribing Network. At present, SureScripts has contracts with more than 50 clinical software vendors and health systems, representing more than 150,000 current physician users.

"We have seen tremendous emphasis in the last 12 months on adoption of electronic prescribing. Increasing numbers of health care professionals are coming to appreciate the efficiencies and the ability to improve patient care," said Kevin Hutchinson, president and chief executive officer of SureScripts. "Widespread adoption is an important step toward ensuring the establishment of interoperability in health information technology to support the modernization of our health care system."

In addition to supporting widespread adoption of technology and creating necessary process improvements to make the nation's prescribing process safer and more efficient, SureScripts has also become a role model and resource for this initiative. Earlier this year, SureScripts was recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for its selection of the NCPDP SCRIPT standard as the foundation of its electronic prescribing network. The use of this standard among certified pharmacies was cited by CMS as an example of industry experience.

More recently, Hutchinson was among 16 representatives selected by the Department of Health and Human Services, to participate in the American Health Information Community. This council will develop, set, and certify standards within the health care industry to achieve a common interoperable framework. Hutchinson will represent the interests of ancillary services that support physician decision-making, such as the pharmacy and medical laboratory communities.

Currently, electronic transactions via the SureScripts network are being conducted in more than 45 states. A map on the SureScripts Web site, www.surescripts.com, provides the names of all pharmacies in each state that are live on the SureScripts Network and able to process electronic transactions. In addition, the map highlights the state-by-state regulatory environments for electronic prescribing.

"Widespread adoption of electronic prescribing will ensure essential medical information is exchanged securely and efficiently, helping to reduce medical errors, improve quality, lower costs, and reduce paperwork," said Roberts. "All industry players, including independent pharmacists, need to adopt electronic prescribing technology to increase efficiency and accuracy of the prescribing and dispensing process. We are urging our members to take steps immediately, if they have not already done so, to add electronic prescribing capability."

About NCPA

The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) represents the nation's community pharmacists, including the owners of more than 24,000 pharmacies. The nation's independent pharmacies, independent pharmacy franchises, and independent chains represent an $84 billion marketplace, dispensing nearly half of the nation's retail prescription medicines.

About SureScripts

SureScripts, the largest network provider of electronic prescribing services, is committed to building relationships within the health care community and working collaboratively with key industry stakeholders and organizations to improve the safety, efficiency and quality of health care by improving the overall prescribing process. At the core of this improvement effort is SureScripts network, a health care infrastructure which establishes electronic communications between pharmacists and physicians and enables the two-way electronic exchange of prescription information. More information about SureScripts is available at www.surescripts.com.

Source: Business Wire

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