Surescripts Core Services
An electronic connection between payers, prescribers, and pharmacists is
essential to reducing costs and improving the safety and efficiency of the
prescribing process. Patients can feel confident knowing their prescribers are
empowered to make the most clinically appropriate and cost effective treatment
decision at the point of care.
Surescripts certifies software used by prescribers, pharmacies, and payers/PBMs
for access to the three core services:
Prescription Benefit
Prescription History
Prescription Routing
An explanation of each service is found below.
Prescription Benefit
Surescripts is working with the nation's pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and
payers to offer prescribers access to their patient's Prescription Benefit
information in real time during an office visit. The Prescription Benefit
service puts eligibility, benefits and formulary information at a prescriber’s
fingertips at the time of prescribing. This enables prescribers to select
medications that are on formulary and are covered by the patient’s drug benefit.
It also informs them of lower cost alternatives such as generic drugs and
ultimately ensures that the staff in the pharmacy receives a “clean” script.
Unnecessary phone calls from pharmacy staff to physician practices related to
drug coverage are reduced. Prescribers access prescription benefit information
through software from a vendor that is certified for these
services.
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Prescription History
Surescripts delivers prescription history information across providers during
a patient's office visit through electronic prescribing and electronic health
record systems that are certified for the Prescription History service. The
service is made possible by Surescripts’ ability to securely access and
aggregate patient prescription history data from community pharmacies and patient
medication claims history from payers and pharmacy benefit managers.
Prescribers who can access critically important information on their
patient's current and past prescriptions are better informed about potential
medication issues with their patients and can use this information to improve
safety and quality. Prescription History can also be used for reconciliation
support for patients being treated in an inpatient setting (click here
to read more about Surescripts Prescription History for
Hospitals service).
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Prescription Routing Services
By eliminating paper, phone and fax, electronic Prescription
Routing makes getting patients the medications they need a
safer and more efficient process. Prescription Routing
replaces old, error-prone approaches to sending new
prescriptions – e.g. handwritten prescriptions,
computer-printed prescriptions and hand or computer-faxed
prescriptions - with the secure computer-to-computer
exchange of prescriptions between prescribers and pharmacies. Routing new
prescriptions electronically reduces the risk of medication errors associated
with poor handwriting, illegible faxes and manual data entry. Using Prescription
Routing to process prescription renewals saves health care professionals time
and money by dramatically reducing the number of phone calls and faxes typically
associated with the prescription renewal authorization process. MGMA studies
have estimated that the value of the time spent just on
prescription renewal authorization phone calls costs
practices $10,000 a year per physician. With
electronic prescription renewals, prescribers can receive electronic
authorization requests directly and securely to practice computers as an
alternative to time consuming phone calls and faxes. Physicians or authorized
staff can then return approvals or denials with a few mouse clicks at their
convenience, in seconds, which could translate into more time with patients for
physicians and more efficient use of staff.
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