I have had several comments asking for me to repeat several of my recent blog posts, so here they are:
The first one:
"In a few short years, Lexicomp has gone from being the provider of choice for drug reference information to the vendor of choice for EMR development companies looking for a supplier of drug data to include in their product. Lexi-Data provides all of the standard drug information that one would expect from the other suppliers, but it also provides the best pediatric dosing information available. In addition to supplying the expected information such as drug-drug and drug-allergy interactions, adverse drug events, RxNorm mapping, generic drug lists, drug nomenclature, and more. Lexi-Data offers an incredibly easy to use data structure and API's and most importantly, Lexicomp is unparalleled in its customer service and providing assistance in the development process. If you are developing a new EMR and need a drug information supplier, make sure that Lexi is on your list."
The second: (enjoy)
"We live in a turbulent and fast changing world. What was good yesterday is not necessarily what is best for today. Where is Netscape? How about Alta Vista? Lotus is certainly history but how many of you remember Multiplan and before that VisiCalc? The changes occur quickly -- not like the phasing out of a buggy whip.
The same could be said about more and more EMR developers who are turning to Lexi-Data for their drug information. Lexi-Data just hit the scene a little more than two years ago. And how quickly it has grown and capturing a major part of new EMR development in need of drug information. Why so?
Is it about drug information quality? Is it about ease of integrating the APIs? How about quality of the Pediatric Drug Information and drug-drug and drug-allergy interactions? Or is about the top quality customer support during the development and integration phase, where Lexicomp treats it customers like true partners?"
Needless to say, as you can imagine, it is about all of the above. If you haven't acted yet, it is about time.
More EMRs are calling Lexi-Data their preferred choice every month, why might you ask?
Better quality information with faster updates and fewer mistakes
A more clinically relevant focus that their end users valued
Easier implementation and more powerful functionality
Superior customer service
Unique content not available elsewhere, like Lexicomp’s industry-leading Pediatric Dose Range Checking
Come see for youself! Lexicomp will be exhibiting at HIMSS 2012 in Las Vegas from February 20 - 24. Stop by for a visit at Booth #5134 and learn more about the preferred choice of drug information databases!
Lexi-Data, Lexicomp's clinical decision support database is perfect for EMR vendors looking to meet a number of Meaningful Use requirements:
Allows for specific clinical decision support functions, including drug-drug and drug-allergy interaction checking
Has consumer-facing patient education materials
Is compliant with the RxNorm
Include comprehensives reference information for the US including drug generic name, drug brand name, drug classifications, and eventually clinical dosage guidelines for calculating pediatric and adult doses
Lexicomp will be exhibiting at HIMSS 2012 in Las Vegas, from February 20 - 24. Stop by for a visit at Booth #5134 and learn more about the choices you have in drug information databases!
In a few short years, Lexicomp has gone from being the provider of choice for drug reference information to the vendor of choice for EMR development companies looking for a supplier of drug data to include in their product. Lexi-Data provides all of the standard drug information that one would expect from the other suppliers, but it also provides the best pediatric dosing information available. In addition to supplying the expected information such as drug-drug and drug-allergy interactions, adverse drug events, RxNorm mapping, generic drug lists, drug nomenclature, and more. Lexi-Data offers an incredibly easy to use data structure and API's and most importantly, Lexicomp is unparalleled in its customer service and providing assistance in the development process. If you are developing a new EMR and need a drug information supplier, make sure that Lexi is on your list.
Are you developing EMRs and practice management systemswhere speed to market is critical?One of the modules of such systems is the inclusion of drug information.Since this is neither the expertise of your developers nor your content people,it is important to identify the preferred drug information provider early in the process.Fourcriteria are critical in making this decision.First,quality of information.Second,flexibility of design and APIs.Third,simplicity of data structure.Fourth,and very important,customer support during the development period and after release. More and more EMRs are now using Lexicompdrug information as part of their offering.And there is a reason for that.
Lexi-Data is the foundation of Lexicomp's clinical decision support architecture is quickly becoming the standard for when companies need an up-to-date comprehensive drug database. This product provides patient specific alerts and referential content to support sound treatment decisions in areas such as drug interaction checking (drug-drug and drug-food), drug allergy checking, therapeutic duplication checking, RxNorm Mappings, supports Surescripts Certification, Drug Classifications, dose range checking (adult and pediatric), Patient Education, Pediatric and neonatal drug interactions and more.
ePrescribing is offered as a way to prevent medication errors that arise due to difficulties in reading or understanding handwritten prescriptions. ePrescribing could also reduce adverse drug events (ADEs) by making information such as drug interactions and contraindications available to prescribers at the time they are preparing a prescription.
Lexi-Data is the foundation of Lexicomp's clinical decision support architecture is quickly becoming the standard for when companies need an up-to-date comprehensive drug database. This product provides patient specific alerts and referential content to support sound treatment decisions in areas such as drug interaction checking (drug-drug and drug-food), drug allergy checking, therapeutic duplication checking, RxNorm Mappings, supports Surescripts Certification, Drug Classifications, dose range checking (adult and pediatric), Patient Education, and more.
Lexicomp has now released the second phase of a comprehensive web services solution to EMR developers to access drug information. For those EMR and Practice Management systems that do not want to store drug information in their product, they now have an option. In the second phase, Lexicomp has released web services to include a proprietary Black Box warning decision tool to reduce alert overload. Phase II also include dose range checking (DRC) and 12 new searching tools.
For EMR developers that have need for any of the following drug nformation or tools in their product, Pediatric Dose Range Checking (Lexicomp is the leader in this area); Patient Education Materials; Drug Interaction Software; RxNorm Mapping; Medicine Lists, Generic Drugs; Dose Information; ePrescribing, and more--- they should call Lexicomp.
As Matt Bennardo pointed out, when EMR and EHR companies are under development and they are looking to include drug and medicine information, they must given proper consideration to the quality of the drug information, the ease of installation, and the level of customer service provided by the drug data provider. In order to meet the Meaningful Use standards, the EMR and EHR developers now care more about drug and medicine information than ever before. They now care about drug interactions, drug-drug and drug-allergy interactions, adverse drug events, patient education pamphlets, dose information, pediatric dosing inforamation, drug brand names and drug generic names.
Hundreds of Lexi-Data customers are now integrating Lexicomp reference and transaction drug information into their systems under development. As Matt had said:
"Comprehensive data covers all decision support Meaningful Use requirements:
Compatible with required standards like RxNorm
Supports drug-drug and drug-allergy interaction checking
All data necessary for ePrescribing and CPOE
Additional functionality like dose range checking
Fastest and easiest integration gets you to market faster:
Easy-to-use APIs and web services -- you choose which you want
Superior one-on-one customer service
Most intuitive data structure and fastest implementation
New features set you apart from the competition:
Black Box Warning filters to alleviate clinician alert fatigue
Patient education available in 19 languages
Click the links on this page to find out more about Lexi-Data now!"
Companies developing new EMRs for small to medium healthcare settings often wait too long to consider what drug information provider to use for their product. There are only a few drug information providers and it is advisable to know the pluses and minuses as early in the process as possible. It is not just about drug-drug and drug-allergy interactions. It is not just about drug dosing information, drug nomenclature, dosing precautions, patient education leaflets, branded and generic medication lists.
It is also about which vendor is the easiest to work with. Who will accomodate your needs and not their needs. Who will help you resolve cerifying body issues? Who is the best of the best when it comes to pediatric dosing? Who will provide decision trees for black box warnings? Who will provide easy to use APIs? Who provides ongoing topnotch communication? And who is at the cutting edge? Those are just some of the quesitons you need to answer.
Medication errors and adverse drug events are serious issues in healthcare. Apprx 770,000 injuries or deaths related occur each year. For this reason and to comply with the certification and meaningful use requirements, every EMR should look at partnering with and providing their customers top rated drug interaction, duplicate therapy, allergy and dose range checking information integrated into their EMR. Lexicomp and the Lexi-Data product can offer this solution.
This information and its quality, customizability, and delivery format can really set your EMR apart from the competition. In 2010 the EMR market grew by almost 13.5% while competition in this area is also growing at a higher than predicted rate. More and more physicians are now starting to look at implementation of an EMR although the rate of adoption has been slowed by the complicated maze of meaningful use. None the less, it is critical that EMRs differentiate and help physicians understand how to navigate through this maze. Drug Data Vendors that are able to offer what others may not can help these EMR companies win more deals. Drug interactions that are cusomizable, dose range checking for specific populations (adult, pediatric, geriatric) duplicate therapy checking and an overall solid patient education offering are areas that can be easily implemeted from Lexi-Data. Lexicomp's expertise and customer service can also help get you up and running fast. The database is easy to work with, available in mutliple formats and even has a web-service set can help start up and established EMRs build the structure needed to help physicians.
Does your EHR meet the certification requirements established by ONC? Lexicomp can help by providing your system key clinical decision support data required for certification. As an integrated component of your EHR, our transactional drug data and reference information support the following Stage 1 meaningful use and certification criteria from ONC's Final Rule.
Lexi-Data is the foundation of Lexicomp's clinical decision support architecture. This product provides clinical decision alerts and referential content to support sound treatment decisions in areas such as drug interaction checking (drug-drug and drug-food), drug allergy checking, therapeutic duplication checking, RxNorm Mappings, Drug Classifications, dose range checking (adult and pediatric) and more.
Does your EHR or patient portal include patient education pamphlets? If so, how confident are you that patients receiving the materials get the information they need? For many patients, the problem may be as basic as not understanding the language that the documents are written in.
Lexicomp is a recognized leader in patient education. Their leaflets are used in over a thousand hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. Not only are the leaflets available in 19 common languages, but they are tailored specifically to adult and pediatric patients as well. There can be huge differences in dosing, warnings, and possible adverse drug events among these populations.
Lexicomp's patient education is available for integration into a wide variety of systems -- including EHRs, EMRs, HIS systems, ePrescribing systems, patient portals, consumer websites, PMSs, and more. Contact them today using the links on this page for more information!
Many EMR and EHR developers wait too long to begin for looking for a supplier of drug data and drug interaction databases. In some respects it seems like a simple chore. There are only a few drug data providers. But the sooner these developers start, the better. Why so?
First, there is a big difference in data structure among the few providers. Lexicomp happens to have a very simple and logical structure, which does solve some headaches if you come in late into the game. But even if you start in a timely way, simpler and more logical is better.
Second, how comprehensive is the data provided? Consider the following needs: drug-drug interaction, drug-allergy interaction, pediatric dosing information, therapeutic dosing information, brand vs generic, Black-Box Warnings, Patient Education Leaflets in multiple languages, drug classifications, and more. There are many things to consider and work on before submitting your development to the certification process. You obviously don't want any surprises.
In the last 24 months more and more EMR developers have selected Lexicomp as their drug information provider. There are many reasons for that. We encourage you to call early in the process.
Many EMR vendors are scrambling to complete their products quickly so they can pass through the various certifying bodies (their choice about who they go to). Often overlooked early in the process is the importance of selecting the best drug information provider. Making the right selection early will save headaches later on.
It is not just a matter of drug data quality, but even more importantly about the structure of the data files and how easy those files are to work with. It's not just about the actual drug reference database, but about the ease of using various APIs and working seamlessly with the data provider. Lexicomp is quickly developing a stellar reputation in this market segment, as is demonstrated by our growing share of the market. There are many things that need to be considered by the EMR vendor in their search for the best provider to work with. Some of these include the quality of pediatric dosage database, dose administation, patient education, Black Box Warning decision tree, and more. If you are at a decision point in the area of drug information, make sure you give Lexicomp a call.
It is estimated that each year some 530,000 adverse drug events take place among Medicare beneficiaries alone because of drugs negatively interacting with other drugs the patient is already taking, or insufficient information about the patient’s medical history. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) reported last year that more than 1.5 million Americans are injured annually by drug errors in hospitals, nursing homes and doctor’s offices. These negative drug events may require costly interventions in order to stabilize the patient, including hospitalization.
Electronic prescribing (eRx) has been recognized as an important step in moving health care from a paper-based legacy to a new electronic platform. The use of ePrescribing has been incentivized by the federal government, specifically via the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Lexi-Data is the foundation of Lexi-Comp's clinical decision support architecture. This product provides patient specific alerts and referential content to support sound treatment decisions in areas such as drug interaction checking (drug-drug and drug-food), drug allergy checking, therapeutic duplication checking, RxNorm Mappings, Drug Classifications, dose range checking (adult and pediatric) and more.
Nothing is final yet, but in all likelihood Meaningful Use Stage 2 won't kick in until 2014. In addition, some of the draft recommendations floating around look a lot like Stage 1 with stricter compliance levels. In other words: much of the work for Stage 2 is going to fall on EPs and hospitals, rather than on EMR vendors. There will likely be some new functionality -- especially around provider-patient communication -- but probably not the crush of requirements we saw in Stage 1.
So what will EMR, EHR, and HIS vendors do with their reprieve? If they're smart, they'll take this opportunity to improve their products in ways that aren't (yet!) required by Meaningful Use but which will give them an advantage in the market. Here's some functionality that EMRs may be using this reprieve to pursue:
Implementing dose range checking: From a clinical point of view, this is one of the big gaps in what we've seen so far in the first two stages of Meaningful Use. Many of the news stories we read about adverse drug events aren't about interactions or allergies at all -- they're about mistakes in dosing. This is especially true with pediatric dosing, which can be extremely complicated. If dosage precautions were more widely implemented, patient safety would be positively affected.
Addressing alert fatigue: Many EMR systems are likely to live or die based on this issue alone. Whoever can figure it out will have an undeniable benefit over the competition. As with many Meaningful Use issues, it starts with drug information vendors -- does yours provide the detail needed to make alerts intelligent?
Improving patient education: The new recommendations for Stage 2 Meaningful Use are all about provider-patient communication. And transcripts of workgroups show that CMS and ONC are very interested in improving not just the method of communication, but the quality of information that flows through it. It seems likely that this will eventually include things like specific patient education materials for pediatric and adult patients, delivered in the language they primarily speak.
EMR vendors that can solve some or all of these issues now will find themselves ahead of the game when the next round of MU guidelines come out. Not only that, but they'll be delivering real value to clinicians that sets them apart from all the other cookie-cutter competitors who are simply "checking boxes" on the Meaningful Use checklist.
But where to start? Lexicomp is a drug and clinical information vendor who can help with all of the items listed above -- and with many more as well. Call or fill out a form today to start learning about how Lexicomp can help you build value for your users, save money and development resources, and meet government requirements for your EMR system.
First, if you are developing a new EMR or application that requires inclusion of drug and medicine information, don't delay the process of securing a drug data vendor. With the new certication rules you are better off finding a vendor who is easy to work with, flexible and supportive. There are only a few drug data providers in the market, so it shouldn't be difficult to idenitfy them.
Secondly, pediatric and neonatal dose ranging checking is becoming more of a must everyday. The web-based EHR company, Practice Fusion, released a study earlier this year where it has been shown that EHR's are having a real impact on the decrease of infant mortality. This is great news in general and hats off to those EHR's that have elected to focus some of their development efforts on dose range checking.
As my colleague Matt Bennardo posted several months ago, "There are drug information vendors like Lexicomp that understand there is a vast world of difference between adults and children. Lexicomp's durg information is trusted by dozens of EMR vendors to guide clincians in prescribing, fulfilling and admnistering drugs to patients of all types --- including children."
If you are the beginning of process of developing a new EMR or looking to modify a current EMR, contact Lexicomp for some suggestions.
Pediatric dosing continues to be a major concern among clinicians in almost all practice settings. In fact, those who do not regularly treat children often have the most questions about proper dosing and treatment. One area where EMR, EHR, and HIS systems can meaningfully differentiate themselves is in providing this information.
Physicians, pharmacists and nurses know that children are not simply "little adults". Besides different dosage precautions, children may require different administration or routes -- and for some cases may receive completely different medications. Different patient education leaflets are also needed when treating children.
For these reasons, it's important to partner with a drug information vendor that is well regarded in pediatrics. Lexicomp is the drug reference vendor of choice among U.S. pediatric hospitals, and has specialized in this area for decades. Most clinicians will see children as patients at some point in their work, and they know that this vulnerable population requires special care. Using Lexicomp as a drug vendor can help put their concerns to rest and add value to their EMR, EHR, or HIS system.
I am reposting comments I made several months ago. Why? Because it is very important to build an EMR with the best pediatric dosing information possible. The implication are clear. So, if you are in the midst of building a new EMR or just want to include a link from your EHR over to Lexicomp Online's Pediatric Dose Range Checking, I would suggest reading this.
It might seem like an easy question, but the answer is neither obvious nor unimportant. Both pediatric and neonatal dose range calculators are receiving more focus and attention. This is serious business, with serious consequences. Last week, Matt Bennardo wrote a blog posting wherehe cited astudy by Practice Fusion, where it has been shown that EHR's are having a real impact on the decrease in infant mortality. This is great news for those EHR's that have elected to use better dose range checking calculators.
As I said in a post last week. "Allpediatric dosage calculatorsare not created equally. As Matt goes on to say, "But luckily there are drug information vendors like Lexicomp that understand there is a vast world of difference between adults and children -- and often between older children and neonates. Lexicomp's drug information is trusted by dozens of EHR vendors to guide clinicians in prescribing, fulfilling, and administering drugs to patients of all types -- including children."
Lexicomp provides both "machine readable" transactional information (geared towards specific populations) for use in clinical decision support, as well as "human readable" reference materials for clinicians and patients. Even Lexicomp's patient education leaflets are written with either adult or pediatric patients in mind.
If you are developing an EMR or looking to improve an EHR or HIS system, I would suggest reaching out toLexicompfor some suggestions. Lexicomp is known for its pediatric and neonatal drug information.
Great drug reference databases do not grow on trees. If you are in the midst of developing or redesigning an EMR or EHR, then you already know this. There are lots of key questions to keep in mind throughout the decision process:
How much will they help in setting up the API's?
Do they have a specific pediatric dose range checking product?
Take a look at the marketplace and see who can meet all your needs--check out Lexicomp early in the searching process and you will be pleasantly surprised.
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