Two healthcare organizations in Maryland have joined forces to give Maryland prescribers a mobile tool to efficiently access the state’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) data from within the e-prescribing workflow.
MedChi, The Maryland State Medical Society, partnered with DrFirst, an e-prescribing and medication management solutions provider, to offer iPrescribe to prescribers using the PDMP data displayed to healthcare providers by Maryland’s state-designated health information exchange (HIE), CRISP. Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients (CRISP) is a regional HIE serving Maryland and the District of Columbia and operates the state’s PDMP.
iPrescribe is the first mobile medication management app that allows physicians to comply with the Maryland mandate to consult the PDMP. MedChi and DrFirst are making iPrescribe available to Maryland prescribers free for the first year.
Maryland prescribers will be required to query and review the PDMP database prior to initially prescribing an opioid or benzodiazepine for a patient starting July 1, 2018. Previously, PDMP access for many prescribers involved leaving the clinical workflow in order to view the patient’s history of opioid and other controlled drug prescriptions within CRISP, adding time and complexity to an already complex process. The collaboration with MedChi, DrFirst, and CRISP streamlines the PDMP query process by making it available in the e-prescribing workflow through the iPrescribe mobile app, according to the healthcare organizations.
“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,” Gene Ransom, MedChi’s chief executive officer, said in a statement. “Our goal is to put this tool in the hands of every prescriber in Maryland.”
“As a Maryland-based organization, we are excited to support technological solutions that put tools in the hands of the provider community that can help combat the opioid crisis in our state,” Brandon Neiswender, VP and COO at CRISP, said. “We can provide authorized users easier access to patient data to better inform clinical decisions and address patient safety and opioid overuse concerns.”
“With opioid deaths in Maryland continuing to mount, it is critical that prescribers have easy access to patient information. With iPrescribe, we are arming them with a powerful mobile tool that, for the first time, gives them a comprehensive view of their patient’s medication history, including PDMP data from CRISP, in their e-prescribing workflow,” G. Cameron Deemer, president of DrFirst, said.
In addition to e-prescribing and PDMP access, the iPrescribe app provides 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 the ability to securely 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 electronic medical record (EMR).
The iPrescribe app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
