Surescripts routes record 1 billion-plus electronic prescriptions in 2013

ARLINGTON, Va. — Surescripts on Wednesday announced its service has routed more than 1 billion electronic prescriptions in 2013, representing a majority (58%) of all eligible prescriptions in the United States, sent by 73% of all office-based physicians.  

In addition to continued growth in electronic prescribing, the company’s 2013 National Progress Report and Safe-Rx Rankings highlights broader signs of growth in electronic health information exchange that support the federal government’s efforts to drive “meaningful use” of electronic health records. 

“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,” stated Paul Uhrig, acting CEO of Surescripts.  “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.”

The 2013 National Progress Report and Safe-Rx Rankings includes the following major milestones:

• The total volume of prescriptions routed electronically increased 44%, up from 788 million in 2012 and 570 million in 2011;


• Nearly 700 million electronic medication history records (covering two-thirds of the U.S. population) were delivered in 2013, representing a 19% increase over 2012;


• The adoption of electronic prescribing by independent pharmacies increased 11% between 2011 and 2013, while adoption among chain pharmacies remained constant at 98%;


• As of 2013, 40% of pharmacies have achieved Surescripts certification to enable the electronic prescribing of controlled substances; and


• The Surescripts network connects to 566,000 prescribers, more than 400 hospitals and health systems, more than 40 of the nation’s leading pharmacy benefit managers, more than 600 EHR applications, 43 state immunization registries, and 21 health information exchanges and health information service providers. 

“Just as we’ve witnessed continued growth in e-prescribing over the past 13 years, so too have we seen the complexity of the healthcare system multiply,” Uhrig said. “Today, Surescripts has the assets and the experience that are needed to connect hospitals, pharmacists, providers, payers, pharmacy benefit managers and others, to enable the secure, electronic exchange of vast amounts of clinical data and make it useful across healthcare.” 

In 2013, Delaware again led Surescripts’ Safe-Rx Rankings, with 81% of physicians routing a total of 3.8 million electronic prescriptions. All states routed at least 45% of eligible prescriptions electronically last year, and electronic prescribing has increased to where the last place state in 2013 would have been the first place state in 2009, by a margin of 13 percentage points. Wisconsin, North Dakota and Connecticut all moved into the top 10 for the first time in 2013. 

The Safe-Rx Rankings are a nationwide measure of each state’s progress in advancing healthcare safety, efficiency and quality through the adoption and use of electronic prescribing. The rankings recognize the full utilization of electronic prescribing based on volume of prescription benefit, medication history and routing transactions.