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Integration to Support Substantial Push for Adoption of EPCS Driven by New York State’s I-STOP Law

December 29, 2014

TROY, MI and ROCKVILLE, MD

gloStream, a performance management services company for independent medical practices, announced today that it will integrate electronic controlled substance e-prescribing (EPCS) capabilities with DrFirst, the leading provider of integrated medication management technology, into gloEMR, gloStream’s electronic medical record system.

gloStream is incorporating DrFirst’s EPCS GoldSM 2.0 controlled substance e-prescribing capability to build on its existing efforts to support medical professionals who increasingly recognize that prescription drug abuse is an epidemic in the United States. gloStream will initially launch EPCS functionality to providers in New York to support compliance with New York’s Internet System for Tracking Over Prescribing Law (I-STOP), which requires providers to electronically prescribe all legend drugs and controlled substances beginning on March 27, 2015.

“We understand the importance of giving providers a way to prescribe controlled substances within our system,” said Michael Sappington, CEO, gloStream. “DrFirst’s solution is easy to integrate, cost efficient for our practices, and is not only helping us address the I-STOP issue that is directly impacting New York providers now, it is positioning gloStream to support our users across the country with EPCS.”

Many practices currently write paper prescriptions for controlled substances and e-prescribe legend drugs, although e-prescribing for controlled medications (Schedules II through V) has been available to providers nationwide since 2010, though with limited availability as EPCS began rolling out slowly at the state level. EPCS is now legal in 49 states and Washington, D.C. Access to the capability requires greater technical requirements than e-prescribing for legend drugs, as mandated by the Drug Enforcement Agency, including provider identity proofing, two-factor authentication functionality, and enhanced audit capabilities.

DrFirst currently processes over 60 percent of all controlled substance electronic prescriptions nationwide, making it the leader in this field. The availability of EPCS-enabled pharmacies has historically slowed provider adoption of EPCS capability; however, more than 45,000 U.S. pharmacies are now EPCS-enabled, with new pharmacies being added daily. EPCS offers significant social benefits to the greater healthcare system as it has been proven to assist providers in reducing prescription drug abuse and drug diversion, as well as in identifying “doctor shoppers” attempting to obtain controlled medications, such as hydrocodone combination drugs, which are abused at epidemic levels.

DrFirst’s proprietary data shows that provider adoption of EPCS is growing swiftly, in the last three-month period, August through October 2014, EPCS prescription volume jumped by more than 200 percent compared to the same period one year ago. Growing provider recognition of the benefits of EPCS, the rising number of pharmacies nationwide that are EPCS-enabled, and the greater number of EHR, EMR and HIS systems that are ready to handle EPCS, such as gloEMR, have all contributed to the significant increase in EPCS volume. Additionally, New York’s I-STOP law is seen by many as a leading indicator that similar initiatives will be pursued by other states and many healthcare organizations and providers have been encouraged to pursue EPCS in recent months as a result.

“Controlled substance management should be a standard functionality for EHR, EMR and HIS system vendors, so we designed EPCS Gold to be simple and fast to integrate,” said G. Cameron Deemer, president of DrFirst. “Vendors, especially those with New York doctors, must provide enough time to implement EPCS and to ensure that each provider successfully completes the identity proofing process before the I-STOP deadline. gloStream is supporting its providers to meet the requirements of the I-STOP mandate, which will in turn make gloStream ready to support doctors in any of the 49 states and the District of Columbia where EPCS is now legal.”

For more information about EPCS, download DrFirst’s report, “The Evolving Landscape for Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances (EPCS) — An Industry Briefing for 2014,” which is available at http://go.drfirst.com/EPCSreport2014.

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About gloStream:
gloStream is a strategic and performance management services company focused on delivering value-based services. As practices continue to shift from a fee-for-services clinical and business model towards a fee-for-value model, they need access to the necessary expertise, tools and services to enable them to compete on value. gloStream’s gloComplete service helps practices prepare and transition to value-based care delivery and payment models. Our partnership and tailored approach combines performance management and value-based care solutions that align with the clinical and business interest of practices, assisting with the redesign of the care delivery model around value, and assist with benchmarking and continuous quality improvement. gloStream’s partnership enables practices to focus on the delivery of quality care so they can compete and thrive in today’s changing healthcare environment.

For more information, please visit http://www.glostream.com.

 

About DrFirst
DrFirst pioneers technology solutions that inform the doctor-patient point of encounter, optimizing provider access to patient information, enhancing the doctor’s clinical view of the patient, and improving care delivery and clinical outcomes. Our growth is driven by a commitment to innovation, security, and reliability across a wide array of services, including Medication Management, Medication Adherence, and Secure Communication and Collaboration. We are proud of our track record of service to more than 300 EMR/EHR/HIS vendors and an extensive network of providers, hospitals and patients. For more information, please visit www.drfirst.com.

 

For Media Inquiries:

Jeff Lutz

gloStream – Director of Marketing & Communications

(248) 283-8674

Jeff.lutz@glostream.com

 

Ellie Whims

Senior Marketing Manager

DrFirst

301-231-9510 ext. 2808

ewhims@drfirst.com