Surescripts: E-prescription use jumps 181%

ALEXANDRIA, Va. E-prescription adoption and use in the United States has skyrocketed over the past two years, according to a new report developed by an e-prescription network.

Surescripts, which announced the release of its 2009 national progress report on e-prescribing titled "Advancing Healthcare in America," measures the growth of e-prescribing from 2007 through 2009 across a number of categories. Among the key findings: E-prescription use increased 181%, from 68 million in 2008 to 191 million e-prescriptions in 2009.

Additional findings included:

• Prescription Benefit Information: The number of electronic requests for prescription benefit information more than tripled, from 79 million in 2008 to 303 million in 2009
• Prescription History Information: The number of prescription histories delivered to prescribers grew more than five-fold, from 16 million in 2008 to 81 million in 2009
• Prescribers: The number of prescribers routing prescriptions electronically grew from 74,000 at the end of 2008 to 156,000 by the end of2009 -- representing 25 percent of all office-based prescribers
• Pharmacies: At the end of 2009, approximately 85% of community pharmacies and six of the largest mail-order pharmacies in the United States were able to receive prescriptions electronically

Surescripts president and CEO Harry Totonis said the report emphasizes the benefits of e-prescribing.

"For e-prescription use to jump from 6% to 18% in one year indicates several things," said Harry Totonis, president and CEO of Surescripts. "First, that the federal government's leadership and incentive structures are working. Second, that the benefits of e-prescribing -- including increased safety, lower costs and increased efficiency -- are widely understood. And last, that the nation's experience with e-prescribing -- in building the network and the ecosystem to support it -- provides a definitive road map for how to drive adoption of a broader electronic health record for all Americans."