EHR vendor Meditech has taken a step to help organizations better track controlled substance prescriptions.
The Westwood, Massachusetts-based company has collaborated with DrFirst, a vendor focused on e-prescribing and clinical data sharing, to integrate a prescription drug monitoring program database link into its Expanse EHR system.
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By bringing one-tap access to state-regulated PDMPs to Meditech Expanse, prescribers will be better able to view controlled substance histories.
PDMPs are available in 49 states, and Rockville, Maryland-based DrFirst links participating state PDMPs together so users can simultaneously view information on the prescribing of medications.
The new feature is available where there’s cooperation between states. Clients who meet the minimum release requirements can reach out to Meditech support staff to begin the implementation process, Meditech executive vice president Hoda Sayed-Friel said via email.
She also noted that her company has a longstanding relationship with DrFirst. For instance, the organizations joined forces on e-prescribing and medication reconciliation in 2008. More recently, DrFirst launched SmartSig, which translates free text data into programmable data, for the Meditech 6.x platform.
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“Ultimately, our decision to collaborate with DrFirst for Prescription Drug Monitoring Program integration was based on their existing efforts to integrate PDMP as part of their EPCS (Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substance) solution, which many of our customers currently use, and their existing relationship with the agencies responsible for access to the state-run PDMP,” Sayed-Friel said.
The ultimate goal of the collaboration is to create a more efficient process for searching the PDMP. Currently, the task is time-consuming and cumbersome, as providers often have to manually look for information in other systems outside the EHR.
“Creating an on-demand access to PDMP within Meditech Expanse will negate the laborious task of navigating to multiple state sites, entering credentials and remembering patient demographic information to initiate a PDMP search,” Sayed-Friel said.
Looking ahead, Meditech believes functionalities like this will play a role in addressing the opioid crisis and preventing errors related to prescribing inappropriate or conflicting medications.
Photo: Martin Barraud, Getty Images
