Some exciting news came out today that will positively affect our world of e-prescribing. The nation’s retail pharmacies and leading pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) today announced a merger of the country’s two leading health information networks.

 

The groups have merged two organizations: RxHub, founded in 2001 by the nation’s three largest PBMs – CVS Caremark Corporation, Express Scripts, Inc. and Medco Health Solutions, Inc.; and SureScripts, also formed in 2001 by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) and the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA).

 

Their press release states that the organizations will consolidate their operations, forming a single, secure, nationwide network for e-prescriptions and the exchange of health information.

 

RxHub’s expertise in patient identification and delivering drug benefit information to the physician at the point of care complements SureScripts’ focus on electronic prescription routing from the physician’s office to the pharmacy. The merger combines these strengths with a shared focus on more access to patient medication history to form a single suite of comprehensive services. Among other things this merger will allow prescribers to transmit electronic prescriptions and renewal requests to both retail and mail-order pharmacies. E-prescribing is on the move!