ALEXANDRIA, VA – The number of physicians using electronic prescribing will have more than doubled in 2009, executives of the e-prescribing network Surescripts said.

More than 140,000 – 23 percent of all office-based physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants in the United States – are e-prescribing today, officials said. And at the current pace, Surescripts projects that its active e-prescribers in 2009 will more than double the 74,000 that were e-prescribing at the end of 2008.

Surescripts officials also announced that physicians can choose from more than 200 types of e-prescribing and electronic medical record systems that have been certified and are connected to the Surescripts network – a 38 percent increase over the number available at the start of the 2009. The growth in certified software makes e-prescribing available to more physicians and the communities they serve, officials said.

Physicians and other prescribers use Surescripts-certified software to establish a secure, electronic link to pharmacy benefit managers and thousands of health plans nationwide. The connection makes it possible for them to confirm coverage and look up information such as prescription co-pays and the availability of generic alternatives for two-thirds of all Americans.

With a patient's consent, prescribers can also access prescription history and use the Surescripts network to send e-prescriptions to any of 51,000 (84 percent) retail pharmacies or six of the largest mail-order pharmacies.

The network "benefits patients in every state in the nation," said Harry Totonis, president and CEO of Surescripts. "Whether it is the convenience of making one trip to the pharmacy or receiving your prescription by mail, or the improved safety of legible prescriptions and providing doctors a more complete prescription history, or the savings that come from a patient and their doctor knowing about and selecting lower cost prescription alternatives, the Surescripts network makes these benefits available to millions of patients cared for by more than 140,000 physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants nationwide."

New logo

Surescripts has also released a revamped company logo featuring the tagline "The Nation's E-Prescription Network." Available for restricted use by certified participants on the Surescripts network, the logo is the next step in a comprehensive re-branding and education campaign that seeks to raise the visibility and understanding of the benefits of e-prescribing for all Americans.

"Our brand reinforces the fact that Surescripts is at the center of the nation's move towards digital healthcare," said Rick Ratliff, executive vice president for customers and markets and group executive at Surescripts. "We believe that physicians and their patients are ready to leave the paper behind – and it starts with e-prescriptions."