OVERVIEW

Enable efficient prescriber and pharmacist communication

Get patients the medications they need sooner by enabling e-prescribing within existing workflows. E-Prescribing connects directly to virtually all electronic health records (EHRs), health systems, pharmacies, health information exchanges and long-term and post-acute care facilities with support for NCPDP-defined transactions, including NewRx, RxFill, RxChange, RxTransfer, RxRenewal, NewRxRequest and CancelRx. Tap into technology that enables high data quality and efficient communication to improve medication adherence and patient safety.

2.34 billion

e-prescriptions filled in 2022, including 20 million specialty prescriptions1

93%

of discontinued medications successfully canceled at the pharmacy after implementing CancelRx2

26.7 million

RxChange transactions in 2022, enabling pharmacist/prescriber collaboration1

A closer look

What can E-Prescribing do for you?

Choose your organization type to see how E-Prescribing can help you achieve high data quality and efficient prescriber/pharmacist collaboration to get medications to patients faster.

  • Chain pharmacies
  • EHR vendors
  • Health systems
  • Long-term & post-acute care
  • Pharmacy technology vendors
  • Specialty pharmacies

Manage prescriptions safely, securely & efficiently

Get clear, electronic prescriptions, reducing the need for phone calls, faxes and interpreting prescriber handwriting. Streamline collaboration with prescribers and get patients started on the right medication—and the path to adherence—sooner.  

icon optimize operations
Optimize operations

Enable safe, more efficient prescription management by standardizing transactions and reducing the need to clarify intent. 

icon patient safety 3
Improve patient safety

Reduce the potential for prescription abandonment, fraud and other safety issues by receiving prescriptions via the highly secure and powerful Surescripts network.

icon collaborate blue
Easily collaborate with prescribers

Collaborate on prescriptions within a single workflow, reducing administrative burden and avoiding miscommunication.

icon renewal
Request renewals and changes

Use RxRenewal to request prescription renewals and propose updates such as a therapeutic alternative or change in days’ supply with RxChange.

How it works for pharmacies

Your pharmacy receives an e-prescription that’s clear and easy to fill.

The NewRx transaction leverages sophisticated e-prescription fields that reduce the need for follow-up.

The pharmacist can suggest changes or request clarification in the same workflow.

Use RxChange to alert prescribers about generic substitutions and other alternatives, prior authorization and more.

The patient picks up the prescription, and the prescriber is notified.

Less need for data entry and follow-up means patients get prescriptions sooner. RxFill keeps the prescriber informed.

Easily request a renewal or a new prescription when the patient needs one.

Send an RxRenewal or a NewRxRequest to the prescriber on behalf of the patient.

It’s simple to transfer the prescription at the patient’s request.

If the patient changes pharmacy locations, use RxTransfer to send the prescription to a different pharmacy.

ChainPharmacy PharmacyTechVendors@2x

Manage prescriptions safely, securely & efficiently

Add E-Prescribing to your EHR to improve prescription speed, safety and accuracy for an exceptional care experience. Streamline collaboration with pharmacists and get patients started on the right medication and the path to adherence sooner.  

icon provider inside ehr
Keep providers inside your EHR

Automate key transactions, streamline prescriber/pharmacist communication and build the foundation for additional functionality such as medication cost insights.

icon optimize prescribing 1
Optimize prescribing

Eliminate the need for paper and let your users collaborate with pharmacists within the same prescription workflow. 

icon patient safety 1
Improve patient safety

Reduce the potential for prescription errors, abandonment, fraud and other safety issues by sending prescriptions via the highly secure and powerful Surescripts network. 

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Expand your reach

Connect to virtually all U.S. pharmacies with verified, accurate contact information.

How it works for EHR vendors

A prescriber writes a prescription and sends it from within your E-Prescribing module.

Formatted with standards built for clarity and safety, the prescription is routed to the patient’s preferred pharmacy. 

The prescriber handles any requests to change or clarify the prescription within your EHR.

RxChange lets prescribers review and quickly respond to questions and recommendations from the pharmacy. 

The patient picks up the prescription, and the prescriber is notified.

The RxFill transaction provides certainty that the patient has picked up their medication. 

The provider receives renewal or new prescription requests.

When a pharmacy sends a renewal or new prescription request on behalf of the patient, it’s easy to approve in the EHR.

When the medication is no longer needed, the prescriber can cancel it electronically.

CancelRx tells the pharmacy to discontinue prescriptions or refills that the patient no longer needs. 

EHRVendors HealthSystems@2x 6

Manage prescriptions safely, securely & efficiently

Put patients at the center of care and get them the medications they need faster. Add E-Prescribing to your EHR to streamline collaboration with pharmacists and improve prescription speed, safety and accuracy for an exceptional care experience. 

icon optimize prescribing 1
Optimize prescribing

Eliminate the need for paper, phone calls and faxes by managing and updating all prescriptions within the same workflow.

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Increase first-fill medication adherence

Get patients on medication—and keep them taking it as prescribed. When E-Prescribing is combined with Eligibility & Formulary, first-fill medication adherence increases by 20%.3

icon patient safety 1
Improve patient safety

Reduce the potential for prescription errors, abandonment, fraud and other safety issues by sending prescriptions via the highly secure and powerful Surescripts network. 

icon streamline comm
Streamline communication with pharmacists

Use CancelRx to ensure discontinued prescriptions aren’t filled, and implement RxChange to quickly respond to recommendations from the pharmacy.

How it works for health systems

A prescriber writes a prescription and sends it from within your EHR.

Formatted with standards built for clarity and safety, the prescription is routed to the patient’s preferred pharmacy. 

The prescriber handles questions or clarifications from pharmacists in the same workflow.

RxChange lets prescribers review and quickly respond to questions and recommendations from the pharmacy. 

The patient picks up the prescription, and the prescriber is notified.

The RxFill transaction provides certainty that the patient has picked up their medication. 

The provider receives renewal or new prescription requests electronically.

When the pharmacy sends a renewal or new prescription request on behalf of the patient, it’s easy to approve in the EHR.

When the medication is no longer needed, the prescriber can cancel it electronically.

CancelRx tells the pharmacy to discontinue prescriptions or refills that the patient no longer needs. 

EHRVendors HealthSystems@2x 6

Enhance prescription accuracy and efficiency

Bring E-Prescribing into long-term and post-acute care workflows to get the right medications to patients faster. Securely communicate across care settings—including skilled nursing facilities, home health, hospice and transitional care—using specialized transactions including Census, Resupply, Recertification and Drug Administration. 

icon eliminate manual workflows
Eliminate manual workflows

Replace faxes and phone calls that can delay patient care with swift, secure prescribing.

icon patient safety 2
Improve patient safety

Reduce the potential for prescription fraud and other safety issues by receiving prescriptions via the highly secure and powerful Surescripts network. 

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Streamline technology needs

Simplify workflows with a single connection to pharmacies nationwide. 

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Improve efficiency

Integrate e-prescribing seamlessly into existing clinician workflows to save significant time and effort.

How it works for long-term & post-acute care

A provider is preparing to accept a new patient for long-term or post-acute care.

The discharging prescriber sends prescription orders electronically to the care setting via continuity of care document.

A nurse uses the Census transaction to initiate a patient profile at the pharmacy.

This automatically transmits information about the patient’s location, status, demographics and payers to the pharmacy.

When medications change, it’s easy to update the pharmacy.

The care team can initiate new medications using NewRx and stop discontinued ones using CancelRx. 

Prescribers receive clarification requests from the pharmacy in their workflow.

Using RxChange, the pharmacy can ask questions and the nurse or prescriber can respond electronically. 

RxFill swiftly reconciles prescriptions.

RxFill confirms that prescriptions sent from the EHR are received from the pharmacy, supporting cycle filling.

The nurse communicates ongoing supply and inventory needs electronically.

Providers can use Resupply to request additional inventory and Drug Administration to suspend and resume prescriptions.

LongTermCare@2x

Make prescribing swift, secure and paper-free

Make prescription management more efficient with clear electronic prescriptions that are structured and standardized to reduce time spent clarifying intent. When prescriptions require follow-up, Surescripts E-Prescribing lets pharmacists address the issue within the electronic workflow through transactions like RxChange, RxRenewal and NewRxRequest to streamline collaboration and get medications to patients sooner.

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Supply the data pharmacies need

Enable more cost-effective care with clear, safe prescriptions delivered electronically.  

icon optimize operations
Help customers optimize operations

Enable more efficient prescription management with standardized transactions and reducing the need to clarify intent.

icon patient safety 3
Improve patient safety

Reduce the potential for prescription abandonment, fraud and other safety issues by receiving prescriptions via the highly secure and powerful Surescripts network. 

icon collaborate
Enable easy collaboration with prescribers

Let pharmacies and providers collaborate on prescriptions within a single workflow, reducing administrative burden and avoiding miscommunication.

How it works for pharmacy technology vendors

Your customers receive e-prescriptions that are clear and easy to fill.

The NewRx transaction leverages sophisticated e-prescription fields that reduce the need for follow-up.

The pharmacist can suggest changes or request clarification in the same workflow.

Enable RxChange to alert prescribers about generic substitutions and other alternatives, prior authorization and more.

When the patient picks up the prescription, the prescriber is notified.

Less need for data entry and follow-up means patients get prescriptions sooner. RxFill keeps the prescriber informed.

Make it easy to request a renewal or new prescription when the patient needs one.

Allow pharmacists to send an RxRenewal or NewRxRequest transaction to the prescriber on behalf of the patient. 

It’s simple to transfer the prescription at the patient’s request.

If the patient changes pharmacy locations, the pharmacy can use RxTransfer to forward the prescription.

ChainPharmacy PharmacyTechVendors@2x

Manage prescriptions safely, securely & efficiently

Streamline specialty prescribing to improve patient safety by standardizing transactions and clarifying the complex patient instructions often needed for these medications. Collaborate efficiently with prescribers and get patients started on the right medication, and the path to adherence, sooner. 

icon optimize operations
Optimize operations

Enable more efficient prescription management by standardizing transactions and reducing the need to clarify intent.

icon patient safety 3
Improve patient safety

Reduce the potential for prescription fraud and other safety issues by receiving prescriptions via the highly secure and powerful Surescripts network. 

icon collaborate blue
Easily collaborate with prescribers

Collaborate on prescriptions within a single workflow, reducing administrative burden and avoiding miscommunication.

icon renewal
Request renewals and changes

Use RxRenewal to request prescription renewals and propose updates such as a therapeutic alternative or change in days’ supply with RxChange.

How it works for specialty pharmacies

Your pharmacy receives an e-prescription that’s clear and easy to fill.

The NewRx transaction leverages sophisticated e-prescription fields that reduce the need for follow-up.

The pharmacist can suggest changes or request clarification in the same workflow.

Use RxChange to alert prescribers about therapeutic alternatives, prior authorization and more.

The prescription is dispensed and delivered, and the prescriber is notified.

Less need for data entry and follow-up means patients get prescriptions sooner. RxFill keeps the prescriber informed.

Easily request a renewal or new prescription when the patient needs one.

Send an RxRenewal or NewRxRequest transaction to the prescriber on behalf of the patient. 

It’s simple to transfer the prescription at the patient’s request.

If the patient changes pharmacies, use RxTransfer to send the prescription to the new location.

SpecialtyPharmacy@2x
Features In Focus

Protect prescriptions during downtime

Our message queue service holds e-prescribing messages in a queue if there is an outage or service interruption that prevents them from being processed by the receiver.

Prevent extra administrative work

With our message queue service, planned or unplanned disruptions don’t trigger manual work. The service holds prescriptions, then sends them in order once the processer’s system is able to receive them.

No provider, pharmacist or patient disruption

Providers don’t need to send faxes or paper prescriptions, pharmacies don’t need to manually enter lost information, and patients may never need to know about the outage at all.

Success Stories

Real-world results

“At SigmaCare, we’ve seen time and again how our technology solutions make everything more efficient. This gives the staff more time to devote to the patients, which in turn takes stress off of family.”

Janelle Miller, RN Director of Product Management, Clinical Content and Care Management, SigmaCare

“CancelRx provides the alignment of a patient’s prescription information across care provider systems […] and improves our collective ability to ensure that patients are taking the appropriate medication.”

Tolu Akinwale Manager, Electronic Prescribing, Walgreens

“Prior to CancelRx, approximately 10% of prescriptions were actually dispensed after that discontinuation in the EHR, and none were following CancelRx implementation.”

Samantha Pitts Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
FAQs

Find out more about E-Prescribing

What are the most common transaction types within the e-prescribing workflow?
  • NewRx: new prescription for a patient
  • RxChange: pharmacy request to the prescriber for a change to a new or existing prescription with remaining refills
  • RxRenewal Request: pharmacy request for refills of an existing prescription
  • RxTransfer: pharmacy request to send the prescription to a different pharmacy location 
  • RxFill: notification to prescriber on the status of the prescription 
  • CancelRx: prescriber request to cancel a prescription that has been sent to the pharmacy 
  • NewRxRequest: pharmacy request for a new prescription on behalf of the patient 
     
What validation does Surescripts perform on inbound e-prescribing messages?

At a minimum, Surescripts will validate: 

  • Sender identification and password 
  • Recipient identification 
  • Contractual agreement to exchange information between sender and recipient 
  • Syntax of the message, including field lengths, data types, number of repeats and code values 
  • Compliance with Surescripts business rules
     
How do you verify e-prescribing of controlled substances?

All e-prescribing applications sending controlled substance prescriptions are required to provide proof that they have successfully completed a third-party audit according to DEA requirements. This proof of successful audit is required before the application is able to send E-Prescribing for Controlled Substances (EPCS) messages across the Surescripts network.

How do organizations get connected to Surescripts E-Prescribing?

Surescripts is always expanding its partnerships for E-Prescribing. We guide EHRs, health systems and pharmacies step by step through a proven certification process.

To get the conversation started, click the “Get in touch” button below. 

Insights

Keep pace with healthcare innovation

Footnotes
  1. Surescripts, “2022 National Progress Report,” March 2023.
  2. Taylor L. Watterson et al., “CancelRx Implementation: Observed Changes to Medication Discontinuation Workflows Over Time,” Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy, Volume 5 (January 25, 2022).
  3. Jaime Y. Smith et al., “E-Prescribing with Decision Support Is Associated with Improvements in Medication Adherence," American Journal of Pharmacy Benefits (July/August 2016).
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