Former SureScripts CEO Hutchinson to head physician e-Rx technology firm
BETHESDA, Md. Kevin Hutchinson, the electronic prescribing pioneer who guided SureScripts from its inception in 2002 as a pharmacy-sanctioned e-prescribing platform provider until his retirement as its chief executive officer last month, has joined physician technology provider Prematics as its chief executive.
Prematics chairman Jim Bradley called Hutchinson “a recognized expert and leader in healthcare information technology” in announcing the move today. The two will lead the planned rollout by Prematics of its ScriptTone e-prescribing service for physicians, and its clinical information technology services for doctors.
“Kevin is an industry-renowned champion of health information technology, having spearheaded the development and successful growth of SureScripts, operators of the nationwide Pharmacy Health Information Exchange,” said Bradley. “I’m excited to work side-by-side with Kevin as we take on this new challenge to further the adoption and utilization of electronic prescribing for physician practices.”
Ironically, Hutchinson is joining forces with a former rival, of sorts. Bradley, the company’s chairman, is the founding chief executive officer of RxHub, the e-prescribing platform provider launched by the pharmacy benefit management industry shortly after the creation of SureScripts by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists Association.
Prematics is basing its approach on providing doctors with “an elegant easy-to-use interface” that will allow them to link up electronically with pharmacies, while providing them with “the critical patient information they need at the point-of-care to prescribe the most clinically appropriate and cost-effective prescriptions,” in the company’s words.
“Now that the critical infrastructure is in place, Prematics is in a great position to take advantage of the strong momentum to transform the way in which prescriptions are written today,” said Hutchinson.