Drug Allergy Interaction

Drug and interactions data is important to EMR and EHR systems -- it's what powers the clinical decision support functionality that makes it possible to write ePrescriptions, to qualify for Meaningful Use, or to save a patient's life by identifying an interaction or allergy that otherwise would have gone unnoticed.

But too often, EMR vendors don't spend much time looking at the quality of that data. It's a mistake to write off quality altogether -- but luckily there's an easy way to know if data sources are trusted by clinicians. Who uses it, and how? If doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and other clinicians are spending their own money to purchase that same data in reference resources, you can be pretty certain that they consider its quality to be good.

For thirty years, Lexicomp has been selling direct to clinicians
You know that Lexicomp's drug and interactions data is clinically relevant because that's who it was designed for, and that's who has been buying it for thirty years. Lexicomp would never have survived as a company if clinicians weren't willing to stake their professional careers on that data every day.

Now with Lexi-Data, your EMR or EHR can make use of that same information that clinicians have been relying on for years. When they check an interaction in your EMR, they'll see the same answer they get when they check Lexicomp's reference resources. Your EMR could be as trusted a source of information as Lexicomp's references already are.

That's powerful. It means that clinicians will turn to your EMR for answers, and will be more willing to use it. With more usage, your customers will more easily qualify for Meaningful Use -- collecting incentives and avoiding penalties. That makes it easier for you to show the value of the system.

Instead of writing out prescriptions on a piece of paper, doctors will perform this function directly into their electronic medical record.  The prescription travels from their computer to the pharmacy’s computer. Electronic prescriptions are sent electronically through a private, secure, and closed network – the Surescripts network.

By now it is not a surprise, more and more EMR and EHR  business owners and general managers are turning to Lexicomp to solve their drug information needs.   In a few short years,  Lexicomp has been the fastest growing provider of drug information to the EMR market.   This didn't happen by accident.  It came as a result of  Lexicomp's three-legged trifecta approach to providing drug information to EMR and EHR developers -- of any size!  

What are three aspects?

1. Top quality data
2. Elegant data structure with easy to use API's
3. The best customer and development support you can find anywhere.  (It makes your work so much easier)

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 also offers an incredibly easy to use data structure and APIs!  Although, perhaps more 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.

And if you are thinking about building your own ePrescribing module,  I call your attention to a posting my colleague Matt Bennardo published last week:

As EHR vendors find their products growing and signing up more users, many start to think about moving from using a third-party eprescribing solution to building their own. The reasons for making this switch are many:

• As your user base grows, eprescribing fees grow too
• Bring features in-house makes it easier to respond to specific customer needs
• A third-party solution is a risk, as you never can be sure what will happen in the market

One of the first steps in building your own eprescriber is to find a data provider who can supply you with medication lists and other information that Surescripts requires to certify your tool. Lexicomp is one such provider. They've been focused on providing drug data direct to clinicians for over thirty years, but now they can also supply you with database-ready information to power an eprescriber.

Lexicomp's customers have used their data to certify EMRs and EHRs with ONC testing bodies like Drummond, CCHIT, and Infogard. Their customers have also certified eprescribers using Lexicomp data with Surescripts. And best of all, Lexicomp's flexible pricing and easy implementation allows firms of all sizes to get up and running smoothly and quickly.

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.

• Drug Interaction Data - we'll provide your system data that enables clinicians to screen for drug interactions, including drug-allergy, drug-drug and drug-food
• RxNorm Mapping - we promote interoperability through mapping to industry standard RxNorm
• Drug Reference Data - integrate drug reference information, such as drug images and black box warnings, into your system
• Patient Education - we provide patient education information that allows users to generate patient-specific handouts for medications (available in 19 languages), and conditions and procedures (available in English and Spanish)

Contact Lexicomp today for more information!

In speaking with a number of EMR developers and in reviewing many products which integrate clinical decision support utilizing commercial drug database, a few things have become apparent.  One of the the biggest challenges is to integrating clinical decision support for functions like drug-drug, drug-allergy, drug condition interaction checking  in a meaningful way that is not disruptive to a clinicians workflow. Many times just throwing alerts at clinicians can lead to alert fatigue and eventually alerts will be ignored.  In my experience, having a clinical resource to help with development will pay big dividends in the end.

Another aspect that can prove beneficial is what types of alerts you choose to show users.  Lexicomp has recently rolled out another aspect of drug-drug interaction within it's Lexi-Data product called risk rating.  By utilizing risk rating along with the more commonly known drug interaction severity, more impactful and actionable alerts can be provided to clinicians which will ultimately improve patient care and reduce alert fatigue for clinicians. 

Whether you are building a complete EMR, ePrescribing application, or mobile medical app utilizing drug interaction software, proper integration of the data is the key.  Taking the time and utilizing the right product that is easy to integrate and provides meaningful alerts will ultimately lead to product you can be proud of.

Apparently there has been some interest in several of my recent blog posts,  so I am re-posting two of them.  I like the second one :

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

By now it is not a surprise,  more and more EMR and EHR  business owners and general managers are turning to Lexicomp to solve their drug information needs.   In a few short years,  Lexicomp has been the fastest growing provider of drug information to the EMR market.   This didn't happen by accident.  It came as a result of  Lexicomp's three-legged trifecta approach to providing drug information to EMR and EHR developers -- of any size!  

What are three aspects?

1. Top quality data
2. Elegant data structure with easy to use API's
3. The best customer and development support you can find anywhere.  (It makes you work so much easier)

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 also offers an incredibly easy to use data structure and API's!  Although, perhaps more 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 heavily involved in making the critical decisions for EMR development and the need to include the best drug information, along with the best vendor support?

Several weeks ago I wrote:

Are you the owner or manager of an ambulatory EMR company?   What keeps you up late at night?   Worried about getting your product to the market as quickly as possible and keeping your costs under control?  Worried about certification?   No doubt you have some thoughts about reducing medical errors by including the best drug information and internal built-in logic.   More and more EMR and EHR  business owners and general managers are turning to Lexicomp to solve their drug information needs.

In a few short years,  Lexicomp has been the fastest growing provider of drug information to the EMR market.  As I said in a previous post:

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.

And if you are thinking about building your own ePrescribing module,  I call your attention to a posting my colleague Matt Bennardo published last week:

As EHR vendors find their products growing and signing up more users, many start to think about moving from using a third-party eprescribing solution to building their own. The reasons for making this switch are many:

• As your user base grows, eprescribing fees grow too
• Bring features in-house makes it easier to respond to specific customer needs
• A third-party solution is a risk, as you never can be sure what will happen in the market

One of the first steps in building your own eprescriber is to find a data provider who can supply you with medication lists and other information that Surescripts requires to certify your tool. Lexicomp is one such provider. They've been focused on providing drug data direct to clinicians for over thirty years, but now they can also supply you with database-ready information to power an eprescriber.

Lexicomp's customers have used their data to certify EMRs and EHRs with ONC testing bodies like Drummond, CCHIT, and Infogard. Their customers have also certified eprescribers using Lexicomp data with Surescripts. And best of all, Lexicomp's flexible pricing and easy implementation allows firms of all sizes to get up and running smoothly and quickly.

Contact Lexicomp using the links on this page today for more information.

Looking to differentiate your EHR?  Why not consider providing calculators that have been requested by thousands of physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and dentists for years through Lexicomp's online and mobile solutions.  With Lexi-Data, you have the ability to choose the ones that are relevant to your users and we will provide you with the logic needed to embed these useful tools into your system.

But that's not all!  Lexi-Data can also help you meet several aspects of clinical decision support required for certification. Here's just a couple of the ways:

• Drug Interaction Data - we'll provide your system data that enables clinicians to screen for drug interactions, including drug-allergy, drug-drug and drug-food

• RxNorm Mapping - we promote interoperability through mapping to industry standard RxNorm

• Drug Reference Data - integrate drug reference information, such as drug images and black box warnings, into your system

For the full list, click here.

Why I am repeating a headline from last week and some similar content?  Because it seems to resonate with those folks who are making the critical decisions on their EMR development and their need to include the best drug information,  along with the best vendor support. 

As I wrote:

Are you the owner or manager of an ambulatory EMR company?   What keeps you up late at night?   Worried about getting your product to the market as quickly as possible and keeping your costs under control?  Worried about certification?   No doubt you have some thoughts about reducing medical errors by including the best drug information and internal built-in logic.   More and more EMR and EHR  business owners and general managers are turning to Lexicomp to solve their drug information needs.

In a few short years,  Lexicomp has been the fastest growing provider of drug information to the EMR market.  As I said in a previous post:

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.

Some of my colleagues have asked me to re-post my blog from last week.  So I will do so.

Are you the owner or manager of an ambulatory EMR company?   What keeps you up late at night?   Worried about getting your product to the market as quickly as possible and keeping your costs under control?  Worried about certification?   No doubt you have some thoughts about reducing medical errors by including the best drug information and internal built in logic.   More and more EMR and EHR  business owners and general managers are turning to Lexicomp to solve their drug information needs.

In a few short years,  Lexicomp has been the fastest growing provider of drug information to the EMR market.  As I said in a previous post:

" 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.

• 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

Are you developing EMRs and practice management systems where 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.   Four criteria 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 Lexicomp drug 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. 

1. Meaningful Use support: Including drug-drug and drug-allergy interaction checking
2. Superior customer service: Every customer receives personal service, no matter the size
3. Advanced filtering options: A unique system of complex filters allows users to target Black Boxed Warnings to particular users and circumstances
4. Trusted content and name: Thousands of physicians, pharmacists, nurses, dentists, and other clinicians buy information direct from Lexicomp because they trust it
5. Full support for eprescribing: Customers have used Leicomp's clinical decision support to create their own e-prescribing modules for EMRs and EHRs