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.
Alert fatigue is related to the barrage of messages provided clinical decision support systems which can overwhelm a provider and cause them to ignore messages. The alerts, while found to be helpful in some cases, can result in a type of "fatigue" whereby the provider, after receiving too many alerts, begins to ignore and/or override the alerts. Receiving too many alerts can result in slowing the provider down rendering the alert useless.
One of the key reasons that clinicians are frustrated with decision support related to drug interaction software is the potential for this alert fatigue. Clinicans do not want to be messaged regarding dosage precautions related to an interaction which has already been recognized and addressed. It is particularly important in the era of electronic prescribing to engineer systems which can present the appropriate information to the appropriate person. Systems need to recognize whether an individual has previously addressed the issue, rather than simply blindly alerting to the presence of two medications within the medicine list. A collaborative effort between drug database providers and application vendors is needed, and discussions to improve the quality of alerts, while decreasing the quantity, are moving forward. These will greatly improve satisfaction with these tools.
Not all clinical information is structured the same! The more detail that your medication and clinical information vendor provides about crucial alerts, the easier it is for you to implement customization for your users. If every alert looks the same (which is true of what many vendors provide!), then that means that your users will have to go through them all one by one, setting their preferences on warnings and dosage precautions by hand. Then they have to keep their settings up to date as new alerts are added. That's not user friendly design!
By contrast, Lexicomp's implementation of Black Box Warnings (also called Black Boxed Warnings) gives a great deal of flexibility to developers to allow for multi-dimensional customization. Each warning contains information about which clinician the alert is intended for, how severe the alert is, and whether the alert applies only to patients with specific conditions (e.g., pregnancy).
Win customer loyalty by automating alert customization! This way, you can automate much of the customization without having to ask for input from every individual user. You can simply have the system hide alerts intended for nurses from pharmacists, and vice-versa. Likewise, you can make your system intelligent enough to hide alerts related to pregnancy from male patients. This is the kind of smart implementation that users are looking for to help them aviod alert fatigue and become more efficient and effective clinicians. Talk to Lexicomp today to learn more!
A recent JAMIA study by Bates et al. noted that the strongest factor influencing acceptance of alerts from drug interaction software is the presentation. This was found to have a stronger association than factors such as the setting or level of the alert. In an electronic prescribing environment, there is much concern about alert fatigue. Drug data vendors are often the targets of frustration of clinicians, and there is a reasonable criticism regarding the ability to have more consistency in alerting, the ability to filter to the user, and suppression of "truthful but not useful" alerts. Considering the role these alerts play in preventing adverse drug events, it would seem that at least as much attention should be paid to the way the alerts are delivered.
In the last two years Lexicomp has quickly become a major provider of drug information to EMR companies for clinical decision support. Many of the new EMRs hitting the market are using Lexicomp medicine information for drug interactions, dose range checking, therapeutic dosages, adverse drug advents, electonic eprescring, and more. Lexi-Data has become the popular choice based on top quality information, unparalleled customer service, state-of-the-art data structure and top-notch APIs. Now something new!!
Lexi-Data has introduced a new structure which allows for the customization of Black Boxed Warning to reduce alert fatigue, yet at the same time delivers the warning to the person who needs it most. This information structure is new and as far as we know not available elsewhere.
API and Database Features:
Incorporates not only the BBW as published within the package insert, but also pulls contextual or supporting information as written by Lexicomp clinical experts
Each summary is broken down and tagged as separate messages / instructions
Each message is paired to a recipient user category – this allow for differentiating where in the workflow of an EMR the message may be displayed
Can be filtered for a more specific and targeted set of messages to clinician/recipient groups, as defined for their site
This is terrific stuff. So for anyone developing drug interaction software or eprescribing modules, this is something you will want to look into.
EMR vendors are not the only ones rapidly deploying clinical decision support systems to healthcare providers. Dental professionals are demanding that their practice management systems overcome massive development hurdles in order to comply with Meaningful Use standards.
There is a buzz in the dental technology community about Meaningful Use and incorporating more clinical decision support into the practice management system workflow. If you are searching for the best dental specific drug database to integrate into your dental EMR, turn to Lexicomp. There are very few suppliers of drug data within the dental market and even fewer still that are easy to work with. And if you are looking for an easy-to-use, out-of-the-box ePrescribing tool, trust our partner DoseSpot to deliver the solution. What do all of these companies have in common? They are easy to work with and provide you with the ability to get to the market fast!
Don't wait to the end of your development process to worry about: dose range checking, pediatric dosing, drug calculators, medicine interactions, dosage precautions, clinical guidelines, drug interaction software, duplicate therapy, drug classifications, generic drug names, drug nomenclature and more. These are critical paths for a dental EMR build. But it's not just about the information. It's about who you select as your partner and who has seamless API's which makes your development easier.
You owe it to your product and your customer to make the right choice.
One of the key reasons that clinicians are frustrated with decision support related to drug interaction software is the potential for alert fatigue. Clinicans do not want to be messaged regarding dosage precautions related to an interaction which has already been recognized and addressed. It is particularly important in the era of electronic prescribing to engineer systems which can present the appropriate information to the appropriate person. Systems need to recognize whether an individual has previously addressed the issue, rather than simply blindly alerting to the presence of two medications within the medicine list. A collaborative effort between drug database providers and application vendors is needed, and discussions to improve the quality of alerts, while decreasing the quantity, are moving forward. These will greatly improve satisfaction with these tools.
Back in January of this year, I wrote about the steady increase of Electronic Health Records/Electronic Medical Records with the market projected to be at $3.8 billion in 2015. Now, according to this report, "The U.S. EMR market is expected to grow from $2,177 million in 2009 to $6,054 million in 2015." This number is almost double!!
What I said back in January continues to apply today, as it is still not too late to get your software certified with trusted drug data. Don't wait until the end of your development process to worry about: medicine interactions, a drug reference database, pediatric dosing, dose ranges and more. But it's not just about the information. It's about who you select as your partner and who has seamless APIs to make your job easier.
So leave the drug content to us and know you have made the right decision.
In the past few years, new developments on many fronts have created innovation and changes among EMR vendors. Regulations like Meaningful Use have caused particular features and functions to gain sudden prominence. New technologies have given us buzzwords like "software as a service" (SaaS) and "the cloud" -- along with new ways to deliver information. New business models have some EMR companies giving away their product to users. And new hardware like tablets and smartphones are suggesting new ways that clinicians can interact with their EMR systems.
As EMR vendors plan to release new products or new versions of software to take advantage of some of these new opportunities (or to comply with government mandates), it's also the perfect time to evaluate the drug information that forms the basis of any EMRs clinical decision support.
When many EMRs were first designed several years ago, there weren't many choices for drug information. Now there are new vendors in the market with competitive offerings, like Lexicomp. Many new EMRs are finding it to their advantage to sign up with Lexicomp for their drug reference and clinical decision support information. If you've been using the same drug information vendor for years because you thought you had no other choice, it's time to find out why!
Several weeks ago I wrote a blog posting that included a list of drug information considerations for EMR vendors that were launching new products or looking to improve their current products. As I wrote:
More and more EMR vendors and hospital EHR/HIS systems are attempting to improve their drug information to further enhance clinical decision support. Below are just a few areas where having the right medicine data can make all the difference in the world.
Drug Interaction Lists
Adverse Drug Event Alerts
Patient Education Pamphlets in 19 Languages
RxNorm Mapping
Pediatric Dosage Calculations
Drug Allergy Interactions
Clinical Guidelines
Drug Interaction Software
Drug - Drug Interactions
Drug - Allergy interactions
There are very few drug information providers in the marketplace that have both quality data and a top notch,customer-oriented support staff.Cerner/Multum and Lexicomp top the list.Lexicomp offers a unique blend of top quality information coupled with the finest internal support anywhere. Your IT guys will love you for going with Lexicomp -- a long-term partner in your road to success.
More and more EMR vendors and hospital EHR/HIS systems are attempting to improve their drug information to further enhance clinical decision support. Below are just a few areas where having the right medicine data can make all the difference in the world.
Drug Interaction Lists
Adverse Drug Event Alerts
Patient Education Pamphlets in 19 Languages
RxNorm Mapping
Pediatric Dosage Calculations
Drug Allergy Interactions
Clinical Guidelines
Drug Interaction Software
Drug - Drug Interactions
Drug - Allergy interactions
Lexicomp is a unique blend of top quality information coupled with the finest internal support anywhere. Your IT guys will love you for going with Lexicomp -- a long-term partner in your road to success.
Over the past decade, the number of reports of adverse drug events has been on a dramatic rise. The FDA currently uses an Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) which has seen a large increase on the number of reports coming in. In fact, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy revealed in a new study of adverse events linked to medications─compiled by the FDA since 1969─that 55 percent have been reported to the agency in the past decade.
Drug makers are required by federal regulations to report possible health problems possibly linked to their products, but reporting by doctors, patients, and others is voluntary. New safety warnings and technology making reporting easier could play a part in this increase in reports, but there may be other contributing factors. With the current US populations aging, more and more people are taking multiple medications to treat multiple medical conditions. This has been most apparent when I have spoken with a few nursing home and assisted living facilities who have relayed that a number of their patients currently have a medicine list of over 10 medications and some are as high as 20. With all of these medication being taken together, it stands to reason that additional adverse drug events are reported.
There is drug information software available to help with checking medication lists for things like drug food interactions, drug-drug interactions, drug-allergy interactions, and drug-condition interactions that could potentially help reduce these adverse drug event reports. In fact, software like Lexi-Data from Lexicomp has been included in a number of applications including EMRs, EHRs, analytic tools, and ePrescribing solutions with the intent of screening in real time for adverse events while medication are being prescribed. Also, new patient education materials that are easily understood by the patient can help reduce things like drug-food interactions by informing the patient of the potential.
While software systems generally rely on case studies or published information to screen for adverse drugs events, the increase in the number of reports to the FDA will hopefully help to identify additional adverse drug events that have yet to be identified, leading to better outcomes for patients in the future.
America is a great country. I wouldn't be surprised if there were more EMRs (and related systems) in development in the United States than the rest of the world combined. Cultural and marketplace paroxysms create stress and discomfort, and at the same time result in major breakthroughs and great new products. That is what is going on this country, day by day. The great scramble is on. There is much pressure to do things quickly and get to the market rapidly before the doors begin closing. One thing the developing EMR company should not worry about is their selection for a provider of drug and medicine information.
There are only a few suppliers available. The EMR companies should decide based on which company will be the easiest to work with to facilitate the data integration, with appropriate support, APIs, and quality data. Check into Multum (part of Cerner) and Lexicomp.
These companies are experienced and respected in providing dosage precautions, pediatric dosing information, drug interaction software, clinical guidelines, Meaningful Use information, therapeutic dosages, drug-drug interaction, drug-allergy interaction and more. Make sure you make the right choice. You have other more important things to worry about.
Some of the roles on the list are general IT needs, like useability experts and database administrators. But others are unique to healthcare IT, like the ominous reference to "HL7 and healthcare data integration conformance engineers". That's the kind of specialized role that is both crucial to EHR development and subject to the greatest competitive pressures. What are the odds of finding an IT professional who can just glide into that role?
With many IT departments under-manned due to intense competition for talent and with so many "must-have" skill sets jockeying for those limited resources, many EHR vendors are making strategic decisions about where their tech staff should be spending its time. One way to free up resources is to partner with a drug information vendor that offers robust APIs which can speed the development of clinical decision support systems. Lexicomp is one such company that offers thorough API support for functionality like drug-drug interaction checking, drug-allergy interaction checking, duplicate therapy, and a myriad of reference look-ups. It's one quick way to get a jumpstart on much of the functionality required by HITECH "Meaningful Use" regulations.
Likewise, many EHR vendors are also adding on pre-certified ePrescribing or CPOE modules, rather than developing their own right now. These are "stand-alone" modules that already have SureScripts certification, and which can be integrated quickly into any EHR platform. DoseSpot is a good example of a company which can offer this.
Both of these options can ease the IT crunch and get your EHR market-ready sooner. Without these options, many EHR vendors may find themselves at the back of the pack when it comes time to sign up customers or qualify users for incentive dollars.
Are you an EMR or EHR vendor looking to enter the ambulatory care market? If so, now is the right time to capitalize on the expanded use of clinical decision support tools by these healthcare professionals. A recent article in Healthcare IT News states that "one third of physician practices and community health clinics are poised to replace their electronic medical records systems". Are you ready for the this onslaught of new business or are still trying to launch your system?
If you are lagging behind the development curve, a surefire way to enter the market faster is to partner with a proven leader in drug databases for clinical decision support systems. Lexicomp's integrated solutions help hospitals, EMRs, consumer websites and other health IT developers easily implement drug reference information and drug data into their systems. When integrated into HIS systems, Lexicomp solutions provide clinicians access to current and relevant drug information, and supply end users the functionality to support several aspects of clinical decision support required by an EMR for certification.
Whether you are looking for basic drug nomenclature, dosage range calculators, drug interaction software, or ePrescribing solutions, turn to Lexicomp to help you enter the ambulatory market faster!
As the case would be, she was right (along with many other things). This lesson applies not only to life, but also to EMR vendors who just read the blog post.
How can you ensure that you are using trusted, valid, accurate information to do it right? Research, partnerships, trust, testimonials, and the test of time are all crucial elements to picking any information provider, but especially the drug information. Drug information plays such a key role in any EMR that this is one area where a "do over" will not be allowed in the marketplace. Ensure you are getting the best the first time around.
Lexicomp is one of the few that have the best information. We have also been in business for over 30 years. We treat our clients as partners; your success is our success. Just read what others are saying. So if you need pediatric dosage calculations, drug interaction software, drug and medicine interactions, or clinical information systems, come see us at HIMSS 2011 at booth #6653!
As a result of a request made by someone who particularly liked one of my posts last month, I am reposting. This year at HIMSS should be pretty interesting, and maybe a bit chaotic and a little unsettling. Meaningful Use was getting bandied about last year, but this year it is real, tangible and around the corner.
Whether you are an EMR vendor, EHR manager, ePrescribing vendor, or someone else in this dynamic and quickly changing business segment, you will want to see what it is going on. One of the areas that is a bit overlooked and undervalued until you have signed a long-term agreement (and it is too late to reconsider) is in the area of drug database information for clinical decision support.
The data is important, but equally important is the relationship with your drug information provider. Once you make your selection, you will be "stuck" with them for a very long time. Make the right choice. Obviously, other areas for evaluation have to do with the level and sophistication of APIs that the vendor has or are under development.
Pediatric dosage calculations, drug interaction software, drug generic name, drug brand name, drug classifications, drug and medicine interactions, medicine lists, clinical guidelines, clinical information systems, and more, are all critical areas for consideration.
At HIMSS 2011 there will also be live demonstrations showing how our drug databases can be implemented and customized to meet the various specific needs of EMR vendors. Stop by and see us if you are a current customer or are looking to implement drug information or clinical decision support into your application, booth #6653.
Lexicomp will be attending HIMSS 2011 in Orlando. This will be a great opportunity for any EMR, Hospital, or Consumer Health Site to visit booth #6653 and learn about our solutions for implementing decision support for drug interactions, duplicate therapy, drug allergies, and dose range checking, as well as drug databases, and patient education information for consumers.
A report posted January 21, 2011 by iHealthBeat states, "Nearly 90% of U.S. hospitals will need to install or upgrade their electronic health record systems during the next three years to comply with the federal government's meaningful use requirements." Hospitals have the option to purchase a "ready made" from a vendor or to make their own. No matter what the case, be sure your drug information complies with meaningful use. While you are at, you might as well go above the requirements.
There are several components to look for drug information:dose range checking, pediatric dosing, drug calculators, medicine interactions, dosage precautions, clinical guidelines, drug interaction software, duplicate therapy, drug classifications, generic drug names, drug nomenclature and more. These are critical paths for an EMR build. But it's not just about the information. It's about who you select as your partner and who have seamless APIs which makes your drop easier.
Meeting with these vendors in person may help in picking the right partner. The HIMSS 2011 show in Orlando, Florida February 21 - 23 will showcase many of these partners, Lexicomp included!
This year at HIMSS should be pretty interesting, and maybe a bit chaotic and a little unsettling. Meaningful Use was getting bandied about last year, but this year it is real, tangible and around the corner.
Whether you are an EMR vendor, EHR manager, ePrescribing vendor, or someone else in this dynamic and quickly changing business segment, you will want to see what it is going on. One of the areas that is a bit overlooked and undervalued until you have signed a long-term agreement (and it is too late to reconsider) is in the area of drug database information for clinical decision support.
The data is important, but equally important is the relationship with your drug information provider. Once you make your selection, you will be "stuck" with them for a very long time. Make the right choice. Obviously, other areas for evaluation have to do with the level and sophistication of APIs that the vendor has or are under development.
Pediatric dosage calculations, drug interaction software, drug generic name, drug brand name, drug classifications, drug and medicine interactions, medicine lists, clinical guidelines, clinical information systems, and more, are all critical areas for consideration.
At HIMSS 2011 there will also be live demonstrations showing how our drug databases can be implemented and customized to meet the various specific needs of EMR vendors. Stop by and see us if you are a current customer or are looking to implement drug information or clinical decision support into your application, booth #6653.
Lexicomp will be attending HIMSS 2011 in Orlando. This will be a great opportunity for any EMR, Hospital, or Consumer Health Site to visit booth #6653 and learn about our solutions for implementing decision support for drug interactions, duplicate therapy, drug allergies, and dose range checking, as well as drug databases, and patient education information for consumers.
Last Monday I posted that there was opportunity for a piece of the growing EHR marketplace with 4,000 companies jumping to start the registration process. Another sign of growth has been reported today by HealthData Management. According to a recent posting, "U.S. market for inpatient and outpatient electronic health records software was nearly $1.98 billion in 2009 and will steadily increase to $3.8 billion in 2015" as found in a new report by the research firm IDC Health Insights, Framingham, Mass.
These numbers can be further broken down in Ambulatory and Inpatient EHR electronic records software spending. Ambulatory EHR Spending by all types of providers totaled $633.5 million in 2009, rising in 2015 to $1.41 billion. Inpatient EHR Spending was $1.34 billion in 2009, rising in 2015 to about $2.4 billion.
With all this money being spent and more to come, it's not too late to get your software on the certification track with trusted drug data. Don't wait until the end of your development process to worry about: dose range checking, pediatric dosing, drug calculators, medicine interactions, dosage precautions, clinical guidelines, drug interaction software, duplicate therapy, drug classifications, generic drug names, drug nomenclature and more. These are critical paths for an EMR build. But it's not just about the information. It's about who you select as your partner and who have seamless APIs which makes your job easier.
You owe it to your product and your customer to make the right choice.
Recently, I posted the blog below and since then, it seems the scramble to gain Meaningful Use dollars through ePrescribing is on. The first reimbursements for this MU compliance occurred this week for medicaid reimbursement. EMR companies that are quickly trying to get certified by early 2011. ePrescribing and Meaningful Use are the mantras of the day, and one area that should not be overlooked is the inclusion of selecting the right drug data and working with the right drug information supplier.
"Quoting a colleague of mine: 'A recent article by HealthData Management summarizes that, 'The new law mandates use of electronic prescribing by Jan. 1, 2011. Prescribers and dispensers must use either the Health Level Seven messaging standards or the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs’ SCRIPT standard to transmit prescriptions and prescription-related information. The law does not mandate use of electronic health records. But to ensure EHR systems are interoperable, they must be CCHIT-certified. Further, the EHRs must meet the e-prescribing provisions of the law.'
Looks like ePrescribing will become a widespread reality within 2 years. There will likely be some business opportunities for some small companies to fill in the gap between ePrescribing as part of robust EMR systems and those that just need a tool to facilitate ePrescribing, without integration into their system.
As more companies look for opportunity in the business "seams," they will need to work with a drug database company to close the loop. And if they want to do it quickly and work with a vendor who serves as a partner, and not just a supplier, more and more are turning to Lexicomp.
Not only will Lexicomp provide all the basic drug data information such as: drug interactions; drug-allergy interactions, therapeutic dosages, drug classifications, dosage administration, pediatric drug information, and more; but Lexicomp will also provide the service and support to allow the vendor to move quickly. With this quickly changing marketplace, working with a drug interaction software company to facilitate the product launch is imperative. If you are looking for a stand alone online ePrescribing application, I would strongly suggest taking a look at DoseSpot. They have a great product."
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