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Irene Froehlich
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DrFirst
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DrFirst and BCBSIL Join to Launch
Innovative New E-prescribing Model
That promotes Self Expansion and Continued Physician Utilization
Rockville, MD - February 22, 2007- DrFirst, the leader in standalone electronic
prescription services, announces the kick-off of a statewide initiative
partnered with the Illinois eRx Collaborative. The Illinois eRx Collaborative
is a multi-Payor and state-wide
health care industry initiative with the goal of improving patient safety
through e-prescribing technology. BCBSIL, a member of the Collaborative, and
DrFirst expect to accelerate the adoption of e-prescribing
by developing a core of early-adopting physician offices through the creation
of a self-perpetuating funding model which relies on transaction fees to fund
both existing and new physicians for the program. This unique concept is
designed to allow multiple health plans to participate in the Collaborative by
sponsoring prescription
transactions for patients enrolled in each plan.
DrFirst will be providing physicians a
license to the award-winning DrFirst Rcopia e-prescribing system, a PDA,
wireless networking hardware, training and support. DrFirst will also pre-load
each doctor’s system with patient demographics in order to ensure a quick
transition from paper prescriptions to electronic prescribing.
“As other health plans join in and as physicians generate
e-prescriptions, additional funds will be generated to bring on additional
doctors,” said Stan Borg, chief medical officer for Blue Cross and Blue Shield
of Illinois. “An e-prescription is a
safer prescription and our goal is to achieve widespread adoption of the
technology throughout Illinois.”
DrFirst maintains major regional
e-prescribing programs in 13 states across the country. Beyond enhancing patient safety by
eliminating legibility errors, DrFirst Rcopia identifies potential drug interactions
before a prescription is submitted and provides a mobile electronic record of
patient prescription history. Rcopia also reduces healthcare spending through better
formulary adherence, decreased telephone and fax volume between physicians and
pharmacists, and through expediting the prescription refill process.
"We
are pleased to have been selected by the Illinois E-Rx Collaborative after a
very thorough selection process," said G. Cameron Deemer, President of
DrFirst. "We believe this confirms our ability to successfully implement
large scale initiatives and to return value to our clients through successful
e-prescribing programs. We are particularly comfortable with the
transaction-based reimbursement component of this program. Rcopia has led the
nation in volume of electronic prescriptions transmitted through the
Surescripts network for well over a year, and we believe that physicians in
Illinois will also embrace the efficiency and safety benefits of our
e-prescribing solution.”
DrFirst Rcopia offers true end-to-end
e-prescribing system that integrates every aspect of the prescribing process
including patient eligibility and formulary information with medication history
at the point of care. Additionally, Rcopia allows the physician to transmit the
prescription electronically to the pharmacy of the patient’s choice where it is
loaded directly into the pharmacy computer system. The electronic delivery
process works for renewals as well as new prescriptions. DrFirst Rcopia is
designed to produce legible and error-free prescriptions, reducing the number
of phone calls and faxes between the physician’s office and the pharmacy. The
system increases patient safety by incorporating automatic clinical edits,
including drug-to-drug and drug-to-allergy interaction checking at the time of
prescribing. Physicians can use DrFirst Rcopia via the web on desktop, laptop
and tablet PCs. Mobile implementation is powered by DrFirst Rcopia for Palm and
PocketPC operating systems which integrates seamlessly with the web-based
system to ensure full on-line and off-line functionality.
About DrFirst
DrFirst is a national provider of physician
connectivity services through its award-winning Rcopia electronic prescription
management system. Founded in 2000, DrFirst creates innovative services
targeted to physicians in both ambulatory and acute care environments. With a
strong emphasis on products that link physicians, patients, pharmacies, and
payers, DrFirst works to lower healthcare costs while improving clinical
outcomes. DrFirst solutions are widely integrated with practice management and
electronic medical records software through its “Open Borders” program, and the
company counts among its client base, not only physician practices, but major
health plans, health systems, and EMR vendors. More information about DrFirst
can be found at www.drfirst.com.
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