Surescripts routed more than one billion electronic prescriptions in 2013, the Arlington, Va.-based operator of a national clinical electronic network, announced this week.
The one billion electronic prescriptions speaks to the rising tide of ePrescribing in the U.S., as the company's efforts represented 58 percent of all eligible prescriptions in the United States, sent by 73 percent of all office-based physicians for 66 percent of all the entire population of the country. According to Surescripts, the total volume of prescriptions routed electronically increased 32 percent, up from 788 million in 2012 and 570 million in 2011. The findings are a part of Surescripts' 2013 National Progress Report and Safe-Rx Rankings.
“For more than a decade, Surescripts has operated a network and built the relationships to get the right information to the right place at the right time,” Paul Uhrig, Acting CEO of Surescripts, said in a statement. “We’re incredibly proud to report measurable progress connecting and coordinating care providers through our network, because we believe that people and organizations working together will make healthcare more efficient, more effective and easier to navigate.”
Surescripts also reported that nearly 700 million electronic medication history records (covering two-thirds of the U.S. population) were delivered in 2013, representing a 19 percent increase over 2012. Also, the adoption of electronic prescribing by independent pharmacies increased 11 percent between 2011 and 2013, while adoption among chain pharmacies remained constant at 98 percent.
