1,000+ Maryland Prescribers Use iPrescribe to Access the State’s PDMP
ROCKVILLE, Md. — More than 1,000 Maryland prescribers are making more informed prescribing decisions since adopting DrFirst’s mobile medical management platform, iPrescribe, to consult the state’s prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) database. DrFirst, the nation’s leading provider of e-prescribing, medication management, and pricing transparency solutions, joined forces with MedChi, The Maryland State Medical Society and CRISP, Maryland’s state-designated health information exchange (HIE) and operator of the state’s PDMP, to bring the first mobile application to efficiently access the PDMP within e-prescribing workflows to Maryland prescribers in 2018.
Since July 1, 2018, Maryland has required prescribers to query and review the PDMP database before initially prescribing an opioid or benzodiazepine and every 90 days after that. Before implementing iPrescribe, few prescribers could access the PDMP without leaving clinical workflows. The query process was time-consuming, cumbersome, and complicated when it happened at all. DrFirst’s iPrescribe gives authorized users easy access to a patient’s history of controlled substance prescriptions, facilitating better-informed clinical decisions, and increasing patient safety.
“Our joint initiative with MedChi and CRISP is ensuring that Maryland prescribers have ready-access to critical prescription details in the PDMP so they can keep their patients safe while caring for their health needs appropriately,” said G. Cameron Deemer, president of DrFirst. “With the integration of iPrescribe and CRISP, doctors have a simple and complete view into their patients’ controlled substance history, which aids in determining appropriate care plans while avoiding risk of opioid addiction. Since prescribers can access the PDMP conveniently from their smartphones, they don’t have to be tethered to a computer throughout their day.”
“Through our relationship with CRISP and the PDMP integration with DrFirst’s iPrescribe, we give Maryland prescribers the ability to more easily and efficiently comply with the PDMP query mandate. The improved access to patient data empowers physicians to make fully informed prescribing decisions, providing appropriate pain medication to patients who need it, and identify patients who are at risk for opioid addiction,” said Gene Ransom, MedChi’s chief executive officer. “Our goal is to put this tool in the hands of every prescriber in Maryland.”
iPrescribe puts doctors in full control of the prescribing process. In addition to e-prescribing and PDMP access, iPrescribe delivers powerful medication management, including up to 24 months of a patient’s medication history; actual patient cost for prescribed medications from local pharmacies and discount card access to the uninsured; and secure chat with extended care teams and patients in a HIPAA-compliant manner. Prescriptions automatically update to the patient’s medication history to ensure consistent patient records across any EMR. Integrations are available with most leading EMR and hospital information systems.
About MedChi
MedChi, The Maryland State Medical Society, is a non-profit membership association of Maryland physicians. It is the largest physician organization in Maryland. The mission of MedChi is to serve as Maryland’s foremost advocate and resource for physicians, their patients, and the public health of Maryland. For more information, please visit www.medchi.org.
About DrFirst
DrFirst, the nation’s leading provider of e-prescribing, price transparency, and medication management solutions, enables stakeholders across the healthcare industry to use comprehensive real-time data and connectivity to increase their patient safety ratings, efficiency, and profitability. Today, more than 220,000 healthcare professionals, 105,000 prescribers, 67,000 pharmacies, 1,000+ acute care facilities, 21,000+ ambulatory care facilities, and more than 300 electronic health record (EHR) and pharmacy system vendors depend on DrFirst’s innovative software solutions to improve clinical workflows, expedite secure collaboration across a patient’s care team, and drive better health outcomes. The company’s integrated technologies include its award-winning electronic prescribing platform, the most comprehensive medication history available, clinically specialized secure messaging, and patient medication adherence monitoring and benefits checking. Also, DrFirst was the first to offer e-prescribing for controlled substances (EPCS) and is considered the industry standard for providers nationwide. For more information, please visit www.drfirst.com or connect with us @DrFirst.