RelayHealth announced the launch of its NotifyRx
solution, a real-time messaging notification and intervention tool that
instantly delivers the latest drug information to pharmacists before they fill
a prescription order that could potentially harm the patient. Four types of
electronic messaging options--consumer safety, product disposal, product
update, and educational material--are provided by NotifyRx.
"The usual mechanisms of
transmitting vital pharmaceutical communications to pharmacies are generally
slow, unreliable, and inefficient, often hindering pharmacists from being
current with critical drug information when filling a patient's prescription,"
said Jay Wiley, senior director of RelayHealth's Pharmacy Solutions. "In
contrast, the NotifyRx solution provides timely communications that improve
chances of avoiding adverse drug interactions and facilitates accurate
distribution and safe use of medications."
In July 2007, the NotifyRx
solution alerted pharmacies of an FDA-approved change of the drug name Omacor
to Lovaza. The drug entity remained the same, but the National Drug Code
number changed, which could potentially confuse pharmacists, technicians, and
patients. Reliant Pharmaceuticals and retail pharmacists found this messaging
pilot valuable, noting that it may have prevented incidences of double dosing.
Currently, a total of 36,802 drug
stores have contracted to receive NotifyRx electronic messaging notification.
RelayHealth also announced the
release of an electronic medication reconciliation solution, IntegrateRx
Medication History. This product provides health care organizations with a
record of a patient's medications based on information extracted from
insurance claims and/or prescription records. This is made possible through
the participation of pharmacies, pharmacy system vendors, hospital medication
reconciliation vendors, and RelayHealth's pharmacy claims processing network,
which processes prescription claims for more than 70% of the nation's
pharmacies. IntegrateRx is designed to replace the typically manual process of
interviewing the patient. Because IntegrateRx offers drug interaction
screening, it also supports hospitals in meeting the requirements instituted
by the Joint Commission.
