Electronic Prescriptions Reach 4 Million Mark at Walgreens in October

DEERFIELD, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Walgreens (NYSE: WAG)(NASDAQ: WAG):

“Continued growth in e-prescribing will help meet the goals of health care reform”

• Monthly total increases 185 percent over year ago
• E-prescribing promotes goals of health care reform as it lowers costs and improves adherence to drug therapy
• Federal stimulus package further bolsters electronic prescribing

Walgreens (NYSE: WAG)(NASDAQ: WAG) pharmacies, which have used electronic prescribing since 1992, filled a record 4 million prescriptions electronically in October, about 22 percent of all the drugstore chain’s eligible prescriptions and a 185 percent increase compared with October of last year.

The milestone demonstrates the impact of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, which provides financial incentives for practitioners who use electronic prescribing in 2009, as well as Walgreens continued support for adoption of this technology throughout the industry. Greater use of e-prescribing systems promotes the goals of current health care reform proposals, including lowering costs and increasing the effectiveness of care.

Walgreens estimates it will fill more than 45 million electronic prescriptions in 2009 compared with 15 million filled in 2008. The company expects growth to continue with help from financial incentives in the federal stimulus package, which encourage hospitals, doctors and others to adopt electronic health records, a core component of which is e-prescribing.

”With the federal stimulus package providing $19 billion in incentives to adopt electronic health records, doctors will gain easier access to software that makes electronic prescribing possible,” said Don Huonker, Walgreens senior vice president of health care innovation.

Walgreens is actively encouraging physicians, hospitals and other drugstores to acquire the health information technology necessary to electronically prescribe medications.

“Continued growth in e-prescribing will help meet the goals of health care reform,” said Huonker. “In addition to lowering costs for doctors and pharmacies, electronic prescribing makes it more likely that patients will get their prescriptions filled, benefit from their drug therapy and avoid more expensive medical procedures. E-prescribing also reduces the medication errors and adverse drug events that cost the health care system billions of dollars per year. And by eliminating the need to call a doctor’s office to verify a prescription, e-prescribing provides pharmacists more time to focus on drug interactions, the right dosing and patient consultation.”

Walgreens also believes electronic prescribing can be safely extended to all prescriptions, including controlled substances. Currently, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency does not allow doctors to electronically prescribe controlled substances, which account for approximately 15 percent of all medications prescribed.

Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) is the nation’s largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2009 sales of $63.3 billion. The company operates 7,105 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Walgreens provides the most convenient access to consumer goods and services and cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services in America through its retail drugstores, Walgreens Health Services division and Walgreens Health and Wellness division. Walgreens Health Services assists pharmacy patients and prescription drug and medical plans through Walgreens Health Initiatives Inc. (a pharmacy benefit manager), Walgreens Mail Service Inc., Walgreens Home Care Inc., Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy LLC and SeniorMed LLC (a pharmacy provider to long-term care facilities). Walgreens Health and Wellness Division includes Take Care Health Systems, the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 700 locations throughout the country.