Surescripts Launches Prescriber Vendor Advisory Council

SureScripts Brings Together Technology Companies to Help Increase Physician Use of Electronic Prescribing in the U.S.

Alexandria, VA - September 24, 2007 - SureScripts today announced the formation of the Prescriber Vendor Advisory Council, a group of 10 executives representing vendors of third-party electronic prescribing and electronic health record software from across the U.S. The council will advise SureScripts on programs designed to increase the adoption and use of electronic prescribing by physicians in the U.S. Members of the council are experts in the design and application of information technology used by physicians and practice staff:

• Allscripts - David Pearah, vice president of product management and operations;
• DrFirst - Cameron Deemer, president;
• eClinicalWorks - Dr. Raj Dharampuriya, chief medical officer;
• e-MDs - Chuck Frederick, RPh, vice president of medical informatics;
• MedPlus - Edward Bayliss, vice president, Care360 professional services;
• RelayHealth - Ken Tarkoff, vice president and general manager;
• NextGen - Steven Saitsky, vice president, partnership executive;
• RxNT - Mark Wiggins, chief operating officer;
• Wellogic - Sumit Nagpal, president and CEO;
• Zix - Curtiss Hurst, partner services manager.

"Even the most compelling of new technologies will invariably face obstacles that slow adoption - and this has never been more true than in healthcare," said Rick Ratliff, chief operating officer of SureScripts.

"SureScripts will work with its Prescriber Vendor Advisory Council to identify and address these obstacles so that more prescribers, pharmacists and - most importantly - their patients will benefit from a safer, more efficient electronic prescribing process."

As part of its mission, the Council will provide insight on key variables that are known to impact a physician's decision to begin e-prescribing and their level of satisfaction once they start:

• Technology Design - Council members will review and provide feedback on the results of ongoing research and analysis by SureScripts that examines how changes in electronic prescribing technology and making fuller use of pharmacy interoperability can improve the minute-by-minute practice of medicine - in industry parlance, the "workflow" - by professionals in the physicians office and behind the pharmacy counter.
• Education and Support - Council members will assist SureScripts in the rollout of its ongoing educational efforts to all physicians. These efforts are designed to provide physicians and their staff with information and resources that help them anticipate and address some of the challenges associated with implementing e-prescribing technology and the impact that can have on how a physician's office manages all aspects of patient medications.
• Conversion - Participating vendors will engage in outreach programs to their own customers who are among the estimated 150,000 physicians that use electronic medical record (EMR) or eprescribing software to send new prescriptions and receive refill requests by fax - instead of electronically. Most of these physicians are unaware that their computer is only sending faxes to pharmacies. Many do not know that they have software that has been certified for an NCPDPcompliant
electronic connection to the Pharmacy Health Information Exchange™, operated by
SureScripts.

Convening this week, the Prescriber Vendor Advisory Council will benefit from the work of existing SureScripts advisory councils. Over the past five years, these existing councils representing chain pharmacies, independent pharmacies and physicians from across the nation have helped guide the development of the Pharmacy Health Information Exchange, operated by SureScripts. The members of the Prescriber Vendor Advisory Council will build upon this legacy by not only advising SureScripts, but also taking steps to help their physician customers to take full advantage of electronic prescribing and pharmacy interoperability.