VALLEY FORGE, Pa., Jan 23, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- AmerisourceBergen Corporation (NYSE:ABC) has enrolled
its Good Neighbor Pharmacy(R) network of independent community
pharmacies as a Founding Member of SureScripts, the nation's largest
network provider of electronic prescribing services. SureScripts
enables the two-way electronic exchange of prescription information by
connecting physician and pharmacy software systems.
Membership in SureScripts demonstrates AmerisourceBergen's
continued commitment to help independent pharmacies prepare for and
derive value from electronic prescribing. The SureScripts membership
is a step in ensuring that Good Neighbor Pharmacies will have the
necessary tools for e-prescribing, thereby enhancing clinical,
economic and operational efficiencies.
"Good Neighbor Pharmacy is the first independent cooperative
network of pharmacies to secure SureScripts membership," said David
Neu, AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation's Senior V.P., Retail Sales
and Marketing. "AmerisourceBergen is committed to helping our network
of independent pharmacies adopt electronic prescribing in order to
improve patient safety, comply with government standards and further
enhance the pharmacy profession."
More than 2,400 Good Neighbor Pharmacies across the country will
be provided with assistance to make a smooth transition to electronic
prescribing through a connection to the SureScripts Electronic
Prescribing Network. Once connected for e-prescribing, these
pharmacies will improve the efficiency of the prescribing process by
avoiding the need for manual data entry, faxes and phone calls and
will improve the safety of the process by eliminating the potential
for misunderstandings based on illegible handwriting and medications
with similar sounding names.
New Health and Human Services (HHS) regulations support electronic
prescriptions for Medicare Part D, the prescription drug benefit that
took effect in January 2006. As part of the Medicare Modernization
Act, Medicare will require pharmacies participating in the new
prescription drug benefit to support electronic prescribing. Health
and Human Services is establishing standards and steps to encourage
the adoption of e-prescribing.
AmerisourceBergen will be working closely with Good Neighbor
Pharmacy members to complete connectivity to the SureScripts network
and launch physician outreach into the community.
Ninety percent of the nation's pharmacies operate technology
systems that have completed the certification process with
SureScripts. AmerisourceBergen will be providing Good Neighbor
Pharmacies with data outlining what steps each pharmacy needs to take
depending on the software it has installed.
AmerisourceBergen customers who are interested in learning more
about the SureScripts Electronic Prescribing Network should contact
their AmerisourceBergen account manager or go to
www.amerisourcebergen.com or www.surescripts.com.
About AmerisourceBergen
AmerisourceBergen (NYSE:ABC) is one of the largest pharmaceutical
services companies in the United States. Servicing both pharmaceutical
manufacturers and healthcare providers in the pharmaceutical supply
channel, the Company provides drug distribution and related services
designed to reduce costs and improve patient outcomes.
AmerisourceBergen's service solutions range from pharmacy automation
and pharmaceutical packaging to pharmacy services for skilled nursing
and assisted living facilities, reimbursement and pharmaceutical
consulting services, and physician education. With more than $54
billion in annual revenue, AmerisourceBergen is headquartered in
Valley Forge, PA, and employs more than 13,000 people.
AmerisourceBergen is ranked #23 on the Fortune 500 list. For more
information, go to www.amerisourcebergen.com.
About SureScripts
SureScripts, the largest network provider of electronic
prescribing services, is committed to building relationships within
the health care community and working collaboratively with key
industry stakeholders and organizations to improve the safety,
efficiency and quality of health care by improving the overall
prescribing process. At the core of this improvement effort is
SureScripts network, a health care infrastructure which establishes
electronic communications between pharmacists and physicians and
enables the two-way electronic exchange of prescription information.
More information about SureScripts is available at
www.surescripts.com.
SOURCE: AmerisourceBergen
AmerisourceBergen, Valley Forge
Claire Galligan, 610-727-2441
cgalligan@amerisourcebergen.com
or
SureScripts
Rob Cronin, 917-414-5289
rob.cronin@surescripts.com