August 4, 2009 — DrFirst, Inc. is proud to announce their partnership with Maine’s health information network HealthInfoNet. DrFirst has been an advocate of connected care amongst ambulatory and acute care providers for many years, and supports the need to share critical information of the patient’s current medications, allergies, and health history to prevent major adverse drug events (ADEs) and even death. DrFirst believes that connectivity in the medical industry can have a profound influence in providing the highest levels of patient care and safety, while also resulting in cost effective medical care. This health information exchange (HIE) can prevent major morbidities, reduce complications, allow for the sharing of patient data across organizational lines, minimize the duplication of services and unnecessary costs and will help providers deliver much safer care for patients in Maine.
As HealthInfoNet expands services across the state over the next several months, more than 2,000 healthcare providers in Maine, will have access to HealthInfoNet’s secure clinical data repository. Use of the system will be phased in. The network is expected to save an estimated $50 million per year in healthcare costs as caregivers order fewer unnecessary and duplicative tests, procedures, prescriptions and hospital admissions.
“Maine HealthInfoNet, through its statewide health information exchange, is tearing down the walls that have kept important patient health information locked away from providers who work in separate practices or hospitals,” said G. Cameron Deemer, president of DrFirst. “Our mutual commitment to creating a community-wide, secure network for clinical document exchange has laid the groundwork for safer and more effective care.”
HealthInfoNet has partnered with DrFirst, 3M Health Systems, a subsidiary of 3M Company, and Orion Health to build and operate Maine’s statewide health information exchange. DrFirst has been retained to provide Rcopia, standalone electronic prescribing, and Rcopia AcuteCare (RcopiaAC) to both ambulatory and hospital providers. The web-based applications allow providers to eprescribe, collect, display, and document patient medication history information to facilitate medication reconciliation. Utilization of Rcopia also satisfies MIPPA and ARRA requirements which qualify physicians for annual Medicare incentive bonuses. In addition, it allows providers access to real-time clinical decision support tools such as drug-drug/drug-allergy interaction checking, appropriate dosage checking, lactation alerts, duplicate therapy alerts, and information during prescription process such as patient eligibility, formulary information, medication history, and pharmacy fill history. In addition, providers will be able to take small steps into a future electronic medical record (EMR) because DrFirst actively partners with over 65 EMR vendors in order to provide integrated eprescribing through the physician’s preferred software application, thus providing providers a seamless migration path from standalone e-prescribing to EMR.
About HealthInfoNet
HealthInfoNet was established in early 2006 as a statewide independent nonprofit organization. Its establishment followed a feasibility study and planning and development process that found strong support for a new network. HealthInfoNet’s Board of Directors includes physicians, hospital leaders, consumers, employers, government officials, insurance executives and others.