RxHub-SureScripts Merger
Statement from Scott P. Serota, president and CEO, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
July 1, 2008
WASHINGTON – Scott P. Serota, president and chief executive officer of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), released the following statement in response to today's announcement that RxHub LLC and SureScripts are merging to form a seamless, integrated e-prescribing network linking patients, doctors, pharmacies and payers:
"Over the past decade, Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies have been at the forefront of efforts to spur accelerated adoption of health information technology throughout the entire system, including e-prescribing. As the first and largest family of health insurance plans to call for an e-prescribing requirement in Medicare, Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies are committed to advancing e-prescribing and all of its proven benefits: improved quality through increased compliance and fewer medication errors; increased choice of retail and mail-order pharmacies; and reduced costs through fewer hospitalizations and greater use of generic drugs. By better integrating e-prescribing across the system, this merger is a shot in the arm to the bipartisan effort currently underway to make e-prescribing a reality for more than 44 million Medicare beneficiaries."
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 39 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide healthcare coverage for more than 100 million individuals - one-in-three Americans. For more information on the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and its member companies, please visit www.BCBS.com.
