RxHub, founded in 2001 by the big-three prescription benefit managers - CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and Medco Health Solutions - and SureScripts - also formed in 2001, by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) and the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) - will consolidate their operations, forming a single, secure, nationwide network for electronic prescriptions and the exchange of health information.

RxHub's expertise is in patient identification and delivering drug benefit information to physicians at the point of care. SureScripts specializes in the routing of electronic prescriptions from the physician's office to the pharmacy. This merger will not only provide a single suite of services for physicians, it will also allow them to transmit new prescriptions and renewal authorizations to both retail and mail-order pharmacies.

The combined organization expects to transmit 100 million prescriptions this year and handle more than 70 million requests by physicians for information about patients' drug coverage and medication histories.

Initially, the new organization will be co-managed by the acting CEO of RxHub, J. P. Little, and the acting CEO of SureScripts, Rick Ratliff. The new board has begun a process to select a CEO.

NACDS and NCPA will retain 50% ownership in this cashless merger of equals, and RxHub's owners 50%. The combined company will have more than 75 employees and will maintain existing offices in St. Paul, Minn., and Alexandria, Va.

NCPA Executive VP and CEO Bruce Roberts and John Driscoll, president of new markets for Medco, will serve as co-chairs of the board of directors through 2009 and then rotate on an annual basis to include one co-chair representing PBMs and another representing retail pharmacies.