NCPDP Foundation Awards $100,000 to Support Real-Time Prescription Benefit (RTPB) Standard Projects at DrFirst and Johns Hopkins Medicine | DrFirst

SCOTTSDALE, AZ – The NCPDP Foundation Board of Trustees, who govern the 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization that is affiliated with NCPDP, has approved $100,000 in funding to support two research projects piloting the BETA version of NCPDP’s Real-Time Prescription Benefit (RTPB) Standard. The pilots can result in identifying potential enhancements to the Standard, which is highly anticipated by the healthcare industry and will be finalized by August 2020.

A $50,000 grant is awarded to DrFirst for a pilot in partnership with RxSense, and another $50,000 grant is awarded to Johns Hopkins Medicine for its pilot project in partnership with Surescripts.

NCPDP’s RTPB Standard provides a standardized format for the prescriber, pharmacy, and pharmacy claims processor to exchange real-time information about a patient’s drug benefit coverage and out-of-pocket cost prior to prescribing and dispensing. The ability to instantly access this data at the point of prescribing provides unprecedented transparency which can increase speed to therapy and, ultimately, a positive impact on medication adherence and health outcomes.

The DrFirst project will evaluate the effectiveness of the NCPDP RTPB Standard by testing and validating the accuracy and timeliness of beneficiary information exchanged between the prescriber, pharmacy, and pharmacy claims processor for both legacy and specialty prescription drugs.

The Johns Hopkins Medicine research will measure the impact of NCPDP’s RTPB Standard on patients, prescribers, payers, and pharmacies, and demonstrate that RTPB tools have a positive effect on patient outcomes and reduce the burden on prescribers, payers, and pharmacies when new medications are prescribed.

The RTPB Standard was developed using NCPDP’s multi-stakeholder, consensus-building process and is designed to conform to providers’ workflows.

“We are committed to finalizing the Real-Time Prescription Benefit Standard in preparation for industry adoption and appreciate the support of the Foundation and the grantees whose research can help fortify the standard,” said Lee Ann Stember, President & CEO of NCPDP.

NCPDP Foundation Chair, Mindy D. Smith, BSPharm, R.Ph., MHA, explained, “The NCPDP Foundation’s funding of research that can identify potential enhancements to the Real-Time Prescription Benefit Standard contributes to making healthcare delivery better, safer and cost-effective for the patient. The Standard also benefits providers who can have better-informed conversations with patients to select the best medication based on the patient’s individualized needs.”

About NCPDP Foundation
The NCPDP Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona and is affiliated with the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP). The NCPDP Foundation was established in December 2012 to support research, education and charitable involvement within the healthcare industry. For more information, visit http://ncpdpfoundation.org.

###