Close

Audiences We Serve

December 2, 2021

EPCS, PDMP, and CMS Deadlines: Are You Ready?

In this fast-changing regulatory environment, electronic health record (EHR) vendors need to stay ahead of numerous state and federal deadlines to...
December 2, 2021

Get Ready: Maryland’s E-Prescribing Mandate Starts January 1

When the ball drops at midnight on January 1, 2022, it means more than a new year. It’s also when Maryland’s law mandating electronic prescribing...
December 1, 2020

PDMP: What Is It?

PDMPs, or prescription drug monitoring programs (sometimes shortened to PMP), were created by individual state legislation years ago to reduce...
November 17, 2020

What’s Needed for EPCS: Critical Requirements for Providers and Vendors

E-prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS) has grown rapidly over the past ten years, not only because technology has improved but also due to the...
July 26, 2018

Information is Power to Fight the Opioid Crisis

Addressing the nation’s opioid crisis is no simple task. It’s a multi-factorial problem that must include multi-pronged solutions—including...
June 12, 2018

Opioid Crisis Symposium Highlights Need for Public-Private Partnerships

At the recent CRITICAL CONNECTIONS Opioid Crisis Symposium organized by Modern Healthcare, the complexity of the opioid problem was clear. As one of...
April 25, 2018

Lt. Gov. Meeting Highlights Need to Give Prescribers Easy Access to PDMP Data

Combating the Opioid Crisis, Together DrFirst’s technology is being increasingly used across the country to fight the opioid epidemic by giving...
December 21, 2017

DrFirst Response to The President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis Report

DrFirst wholeheartedly supports efforts to combat the national opioid crisis.  While the focus on increasing awareness of this deadly epidemic is...
December 12, 2017

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – but not for everyone

“There'll be much mistletoeing And hearts will be glowing When love ones are near It’s the most wonderful time of the year!”   If you...
December 8, 2017

Top 7 Reasons for Dentists to E-Prescribe

Dentists may not write as many prescriptions as physician practices, but they can still benefit from the many advantages of electronic prescribing,...
April 14, 2017

Mind the Gap…in Medication Management

For decades, passengers on the London Underground (“the Tube”) were warned to “mind the gap” by the omnipresent, automated male voice,...
March 15, 2017

Virginia Mandates EPCS

UPDATE: How to Comply with State Mandates E-prescribing has grown rapidly since the DEA published its Interim Final Rule on electronic prescribing...
March 6, 2017

Herding Cats and Changing Physician Behavior

The idiom “herding cats” typically refers to the impossible task of organizing a class of entities that are uncontrollable or chaotic. As a...
July 26, 2016

Key Benefits of E-Prescribing Controlled Substances

UPDATE: How to Comply with State Mandates E-prescribing has grown rapidly since the DEA published its Interim Final Rule on electronic prescribing...
June 14, 2016

Embracing Electronic Medication History: 3 Functions to Consider

Medication reconciliation is a hot topic, and has been for years. Obtaining a patient's complete, accurate medication history remains a source of...
April 21, 2016

Helping Physicians Take Full Advantage of EPCS

With e-prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS) legal in all fifty states for Schedules II - V, and more than 54,000 pharmacies across the country...
September 1, 2015

How To Comply With New York I-STOP

UPDATE: How to Comply with State Mandates E-prescribing has grown rapidly since the DEA published its Interim Final Rule on electronic prescribing...
May 27, 2015

I-STOP or Not – Why Physicians Should Start E-prescribing Now

Many New York physicians feel as if they dodged a bullet on March 13th, when Governor Cuomo signed bill S2486, delaying the mandatory e-prescribing...
December 19, 2013

Should the E-prescribing Industry Require Mandatory Standards?

To follow on to my introductory blog post regarding prescription quality, this blog series is dedicated to examining current quality issues in the...
November 25, 2013

Which one is more important…PDMP versus EPCS?

UPDATE: DrFirst Urges DEA to Change EPCS Rules Since the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) developed standards for electronic prescribing of...
November 14, 2013

E-Prescription Quality: An Industry Issue

E-Prescribing is not a small, niche technology any longer. The clinical benefits of this technology, coupled with governmental incentives, and a wave...
December 20, 2012

The Top 10 Reasons To Start E-prescribing Immediately

By now, it’s safe to say that the vast majority of medical practitioners have heard of electronic prescription management, more commonly known as...
July 2, 2012

94th Annual Endocrine Society’s Annual Meeting Recap

The DrFirst team is back from Houston, after officially wrapping up the 94th Annual Endocrine Society’s Annual Meeting.  We met with...
June 27, 2012

PQRS Now Available Through Rcopia-MU

PQRS – the Physician Quality Reporting System – is a very hot topic in physician practices right now. In a nutshell, it is a Medicare program...
June 13, 2012

AHRQ Toolkit Released

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released a Toolkit with 13 steps to aid physician practices and independent pharmacies in...
June 12, 2012

Drug Abuse Fueled by Doctor Shopping Continues to be Epidemic

Drug Abuse Fueled by Doctor Shopping Continues to be Epidemic Misuse of controlled prescription drugs continues to be an enormous problem in the U.S....
May 31, 2012

How Often Do You Get Personal Invitation to a Private White House Colloquium?

How often do you get personal invitation to a private White House Colloquium? Whatever is your answer, for this author it was an exciting surprise...
May 29, 2012

E-Prescribing Controlled Substances: The Time is NOW!

The healthcare industry has been talking about the benefits of e-prescribing for years. By now, the advantages offered to your practice and your...
May 23, 2012

June 30th – The Deadline for Your Bottom Line

The half-way mark for 2012 is quickly approaching. And while the month of June traditionally brings weddings, graduations and the start of summer...
May 17, 2012

Creating a Healthcare IT Plan

Years ago most IT departments' plans included streamlining data, optimizing work flow and overseeing staffing. The new approach is to make healthcare...
May 16, 2012

Current Trends in the Healthcare Workforce

A perfect storm is brewing in the healthcare industry. Experienced workers are leaving the industry at a far higher rate than qualified workers are...
May 8, 2012

Convincing Medical Providers to Embrace E-prescribing

It's undeniable. A growing number of physicians, medical centers and hospitals have made the move from writing pen-and-paper prescriptions to...
May 2, 2012

Video: Health Care and Information Technology

HIStalk reader "Kermit" pointed out a recent video published by the Massachusetts Medical Society's "Physician Focus" program featuring Tom...
May 1, 2012

NY Times Featured Article: Chicken Scratches vs. Electronic Prescriptions

As e-mail and texting have become our favored means of written communication, handwriting has almost disappeared. Penmanship is becoming a modern...
April 20, 2012

What FDA Regulation of Mobile Medical Apps Means to You

A Food and Drug Administration July 19, 2011, press release announced: FDA outlines oversight of mobile medical applications. The release listed...
April 19, 2012

The WiFi Revolution in Healthcare IT

Healthcare is on the verge of a revolution in mobile technology thanks to a WiFi. According to the WiFi  Alliance, WiFi technology is expected to...
April 18, 2012

E-prescribing Improves Safety and Life Quality for Nursing Home and Assisted Living Patients

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are serious threats in nursing home and assisted living facilities where the advanced age and poor health of most...
April 17, 2012

HIStalk Interviews DrFirst President G. Cameron Deemer: Part 3 of 3

You mentioned that you’re looking at different elements of missing functionality. What areas do you think could be improved that there might be an...
April 17, 2012

Delay ICD-10 and Other Healthcare Wishes for 2012

Many healthcare practitioners have a wish list for 2012. Most Healthcare IT list makers have a tendency to consult everyone but actual practitioners....
April 16, 2012

HIStalk Interviews DrFirst President G. Cameron Deemer: Part 2 of 3

The next level of value added could be detecting patient non-adherence, treatment conflicts, or medication reconciliation. You also have your...
April 12, 2012

5 Stages of Collaboration in in EHR's

Shahid Shah says, “It’s time for electronic health records (EHRs) to grow up.” “It’s not just about creating electronic health records and...
April 11, 2012

HIStalk Interviews DrFirst President G. Cameron Deemer: Part 1 of 3

                Tell me about yourself and about DrFirst. I started in healthcare in the pharmacy benefits...
April 10, 2012

Study Shows that E-prescribing Improves Performance while Reducing Medical Errors

According to a recent study, hospitals that adopt e-prescribing technology are able to reduce medication errors by almost two-thirds. The study,...
April 6, 2012

The 411 on Privacy

Why do we hear so much about privacy in the media today? Have not all the issues been settled? The simple answer is “no”. Not all the issues have...
April 4, 2012

Update on E-prescribing of Controlled Substances

UPDATE: How to Comply with State Mandates E-prescribing has grown rapidly since the DEA published its Interim Final Rule on electronic prescribing...
April 3, 2012

See how DrFirst helps Stakeholders in Healthcare

Connecting stakeholders within the healthcare industry is what DrFirst does. Whether you're a physician, patient, hospital, health plan, or an...
March 27, 2012

Interview & Podcast: HIT Interoberability with Cameron Deemer, President of DrFirst Part 1 of 3

n this interview podcast, Fred Pennic of HIT Consultant speaks with Cameron Deemer, President at Dr First about the integrated HIT suite of...
January 6, 2012

The Ins and Outs of Medicare Meaningful Use (MU) Attestation

In a perfect world, healthcare providers would reach to the bookshelf and pull out a copy of “Attestation Made Easy”. It would guide providers...
January 6, 2012

The MIPPA Breakdown

It’s a fact that e-prescribing can save a practice valuable time. And time is money. But does your practice realize just how much money in...
December 30, 2011

Six Myths of Meaningful Use

Meaningful Use is one of the most talked about components of the Health Information Technology Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act....
December 22, 2011

Back to the Basics of Meaningful Use

It is an inevitability that many attempting to delay. Electronic health records (EHR) are not going away. The deadline to take full advantage of the...
December 20, 2011

Why Correctional Care Facilities Need Online Health Records

Running a prison is not inexpensive.   A 2011 Financial Times article reported that states spend $50 billion a year on correctional...
December 19, 2011

How Electronic Medication History Saves Lives

The shift from paper-based prescribing and medication history methods to an electronic medication history system is of immeasurable value to not only...
December 6, 2011

The Ease of Medicaid Attestation

In 2011, Medicaid began reimbursing for the implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHR).  Many providers have been hesitant at installing...
November 30, 2011

EMR and EHR: Know the Difference

In the healthcare community, the distinction between an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and an Electronic Health Record (EHR) is somewhat ambiguous,...
November 17, 2011

How EPCS Gold TM 2.0 Can Prevent 'Drug Shopping'

The battle against prescription drug addiction is never ending, and one that has been dominating the war against drugs for some time. But,...
November 14, 2011

45 Days and Counting to Recoup Your 1% MIPPA Penalty

The federal government is so interested in having medical providers prescribe their medications electronically; they're essentially paying them to do...
September 27, 2011

Stressing Over Registration and Medicare Attestation? There’s a Way to “AttestEasy”

The CMS released a video response to their attestation directive. It's a tutorial designed to explain, step-by-step, the registration process for...
September 27, 2011

Solving Acute Care Drug Dilemmas: Uncovering Patient Medication Management Easily

How big of a role does uncovering patient medication history and medication management mean in an acute care setting? Knowing a patient’s...
September 23, 2011

Critical Access Hospitals Get Funding For Health IT to Stimulate Economy

There’s good news this month for critical access hospitals (CAHs). The Obama administration is offering loans so CAHs can catch up to their urban...
August 30, 2011

Cost cited as the Biggest Factor in Meaningful Use participation

When it comes to receiving Meaningful Use incentives, the biggest concern most practices have is the cost to become compliant. According to a study...
August 25, 2011

Is the Stress of Meaningful Use Creating Turnover in Physician Offices?

Is the stress of understanding and meeting Meaningful Use requirements creating greater turnovers for physicians? HealthSystemCIO, an online-only...
August 3, 2011

How Much Can You Earn And Which States Are Paying?

If you are trying to determine right now if you would meet the criteria needed for attestation, CMS has added a handy calculator to their...
March 1, 2011

Patient Medication Adherence Tools: A New Version of the Traditional House Call?

As a doctor, I’ve often worried about certain patients who have to manage on their own between visits. Especially patients with chronic diseases...
February 17, 2011

More "Meaningful Use" Money On The Way? Latest Budgets Give Big Clues

Doctors and detectives have something in common- they use clues to solve cases. And yet, although there are many clues supporting the continued...
February 14, 2011

The Tortoise or the Hare: Small Medical Practices May Outpace Hospitals In Meeting "Meaningful Use"

If you’re a small medical practice manager or physician, you might be thinking – “Huh? We’re nowhere near meeting "Meaningful Use". We...
February 7, 2011

The Stick is Coming! But it's Easy to Avoid the Penalties!

If you aren’t familiar with the federal government’s eRX Incentive Program, aka MIPPA, it offers eligible physicians a nice carrot to switch to...
February 4, 2011

The Super Bowl or Meaningful Use Money – Which Is The Better Bet?

Doctors shouldn’t wager on an Act of Congress before acting on Meaningful Use If you’re playing in a Fantasy League you know it’s going to be...
February 3, 2011

MN HIE Member Demonstrates "Courage" to Embrace E-prescribing

Not afraid to make a bold move for better patient care – especially if it makes filling out prescriptions a lot faster - The Courage Center is the...
February 1, 2011

A Quick Primer on the Physician Quality Reporting System (Formerly PQRI)

Is it worth it to your practice to join this government incentive program? And can you do it without breaking the bank? The quick answer is yes, if...
January 7, 2011

Eleven States Are Ready to Start Cutting Meaningful Use Incentive Checks for Medicaid: Have you Registered Yet?

It’s official! Two states have already paid out incentive checks just 2 days after registration for the ARRA HITECH Medicare and Medicaid programs...
December 30, 2010

What a Year! DrFirst Achieves Historic Milestones in 2010

DrFirst, Inc., will mark 2010 as one of the most innovative and groundbreaking years in its 11-year history.  The year is distinguished by the...
December 15, 2010

Meaningful Use and Certification: DrFirst Supports 10 EHR Partners in Achieving Success

DrFirst, Inc. congratulates ten of its “Open Borders” electronic health record (EHR) partners for receiving Meaningful Use certification and one...
December 6, 2010

A Few Thoughts About Meaningful Use: An Interview with Thomas Sullivan, MD

Q: The use of electronic health records (EHRs) is growing more popular in the U.S., but they tend to be used mostly by large practices and...
December 3, 2010

DrFirst Among Nation’s Top Growing Technology Companies

DrFirst was just ranked in the top 200 of over 1,000 applicants in Lead411’s Technology 500 rankings! Plus, DrFirst is the second fastest growing...
December 1, 2010

Black Book Rankings Declares DrFirst and 11 Partners Fly Above the Crowd

Black Book Rankings, an internationally recognized firm known for accurate, impartial customer satisfaction surveys, recently conducted a survey of...
November 18, 2010

Meaningful Use Program: It's Not Just for PCPs Anymore

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has been out and about promoting the fact that specialists can meet requirements for the...
November 15, 2010

EHR Implementation Myths: Big Foot Is in Good Company

In their article, “Debunking the 12 Key Myths of EHR Implementation,” Cheryl Waltko, Vice President of Equation and Christopher Sprowl, MD, MMM,...
November 10, 2010

The DrFirst Medication Management Process

Ever since the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published its reports To Err is Human (1999) and The Quality Chasm (2001), the entire hospital industry...
November 8, 2010

ONC seeks public comments on PHRs

In conjunction with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT’s (ONC) upcoming personal health record (PHR) Roundtable, ONC is seeking...
November 8, 2010

Rcopia-MU from DrFirst Receives ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 Certification

DrFirst announced November 5, 2010, that Rcopia-MU, Version 3, is 2011/2012 compliant and was certified as an EHR Module on November 4, 2010,  by...
October 29, 2010

What Are RECs?

They Give Providers a Running Start in the Health IT Race When the Health Information Technology Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act was passed...
October 28, 2010

The Few, the Proud, the Certified

It’s with great pleasure that we laud the ONC-ATCB certification of EHRs offered by five of our partners: Chartlogic; Greenway Medical...
October 26, 2010

Launch Your Medication Management Program Faster and for Less with DrFirst

DrFirst recently launched its new hospital consulting group to help hospitals nationwide with implementing medication management programs that meet...
October 20, 2010

DrFirst Introduces Hospital Consulting Services for Medication Management

Hospitals today are short-staffed, underfunded, and mired in “must-do” projects that can take huge amounts of time to complete due to complexity...
October 11, 2010

EMR and EHR: Almost the same, but different

EMR,EHR – they’re both the same, right? Not so fast -- there is actually a difference between the two. The National Alliance for Health...
October 6, 2010

Who’s in Charge Here? EHR Certifying Bodies

It’s only natural that providers and patients want to be confident about the EHR products and systems they use.  They should be secure and able to...
September 30, 2010

Graduating from MU University and Some Final Thoughts

Over the course of the last few weeks, we’ve reviewed a variety of facets concerning Meaningful Use and what it all means to many medical practices...
September 29, 2010

As We Gaze into the Future: What Will Stage 2 Bring?

As you may know, the Health IT Policy Committee created a Quality Measures Work Group to produce initial recommendations on prioritizing quality...
September 24, 2010

Trying to Sniff Out an EMR That Qualifies for Meaningful Use?

Some Barkingly Good Questions to Ask                                Are you searching for an EMR that will ensure you...
September 21, 2010

Is Your Office Ready to Go Paperless?

Going paperless is a lot easier than you think! The question is not whether to go paperless or not, it is a matter of WHEN! There are many factors to...
September 16, 2010

The $64,000 Question: How Do You Meet Meaningful Use Criteria?

We’ve reviewed a lot of what Meaningful Use is, the financial incentives, eligibility and patient registries.  The $64,000 Question is:  “What...
September 14, 2010

What Is Attestation? The Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing But the Truth

Remember Edith Ann on “Laugh-In?”  She ended her ruminations by declaring “And that’s the truth.”  It’s a bit like the attestation that...
September 13, 2010

What is a Patient Registry and Its Relation to Meaningful Use?

A patient registry can loosely be defined as a collection of patient data that includes specific diagnoses, conditions and procedures. Patient...
September 10, 2010

DrFirst CMO to Speak at Free Webinar Highlighting Status of Controlled Substance E-Prescribing

DrFirst's Chief Medical Officer Peter Kauffman, MD, will be among the speakers at a free Webinar on Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances...
August 30, 2010

CMS Offers Toll-Free Q&A Session

From 2:30 - 4:00 pm Thursday, September 2, CMS will host a national provider conference call to answer any questions regarding the 2010 Physician...
August 26, 2010

Health IT Hot in the Nation's Capital

There is a lot to keep up with living in DC, but in the recent article, Health IT heats up in Washington Dr. Kevin Fickenscher discuses today's hot...
August 24, 2010

CMS provides a 90% match for state Meaningful Use payments

Over the past several months there has been a surge in conversation and hype regarding the upcoming Meaningful Use incentive payments.  Until now,...
August 18, 2010

Is the mobile internet and the smartphone a “killer combination” and stealth WMD? Part 3 of 3

As I reflect on the rapid evolution of information and communication technology, not only in our worldwide civil societies, but even in what we might...
August 17, 2010

Is the mobile internet and the smartphone a “killer combination” and stealth WMD? Part 2 of 3

I just returned from a 3 day meeting in Chicago. The AMA Council on Medical Services includes approximately 18 physicians from around the country,...
August 16, 2010

Is the mobile internet and the smartphone a “killer combination” and stealth WMD? Part 1 of 3

Ninety-nine years ago in London, the Italian futurist and artist, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, cited an inconsistency to his British audience during...
August 9, 2010

Important Message to Current Rcopia Users

Current Rcopia Users please note: On our new website, which was launched on Friday, the login for Rcopia will now be located at the top of the...
August 6, 2010

New Website Launch Today!

In order to better serve our clients and to better communicate exciting new product offerings, DrFirst launches a brand new website today, Friday,...
August 5, 2010

iPad Review: It's a Snazzy Device

I’ve been trying out an iPad for the past 2 weeks. It’s a WiFi-only model (no AT&T data service), and I’m very facile with a computer—and...
August 4, 2010

Maine Health Information Exchange

Since 2004, when the state of Maine began work on a state health information exchange (HIE) in an effort to bring together disparate healthcare...
August 2, 2010

Why Aren't Doctors Using the E-prescribing They Already Have?

A recent study by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) indicated that even when physicians have access to e-prescribing, many do not...
July 30, 2010

Thoughts on the Final Rule on Meaningful Use

On July 13th HHS and the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) released the “Final Rule” on Meaningful Use for EHRs (864 pages). This document...
July 29, 2010

Impressed by MU Standards?

Since "Meaningful Use" standards for electronic health information technology have been finalized, health care practitioners have been buzzing! Most...
July 26, 2010

Stethoscopes and Smartphones

Doctors have long been identified by the stethoscopes slung around their necks, and today smartphones are the newest instrument doctors wouldn't want...
July 23, 2010

And the Survey Says…

When asked whether or not prescribers should be able to use e-prescribing technology for controlled substances, health IT professionals...
July 22, 2010

What if eRx were Adopted Nationwide?

We have seen the numbers for what could happen if medical practitioners upstate New York adopted electronic prescribing.  According to this Excellus...
July 21, 2010

Show Me the Money

It's still not too late to get federal incentive money for adopting e-prescribing this year!  Last month CMS released a resource sheet for the ...
July 19, 2010

Will the HITECH journey produce jobs in America?

There has been considerable activity at the Federal level over the past week regarding new technology in general as well as EHRs and eRx in...
July 16, 2010

eRx is On the Rise

According to "Advancing Healthcare in America," the number of e-prescriptions filled last year soared 181% to 191 million.  The report also found...
July 15, 2010

Playing By the New Rules

U.S. Health and Human Services Department (HHS) released it's final rules for  “meaningful use” of Electronic Health Records (EHR) this week. ...
July 12, 2010

Reflections of a Rocky Road

If you are a physician or clinician involved with patient care in America today, you have been thinking and reading about - or perhaps even using -...
July 9, 2010

DrFirst Welcomes Don Berwick as the New Administrator for CMS

President Obama recently appointed Don Berwick to head CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services).  Dr. Berwick has been a primary mover for...
July 8, 2010

It's a Win!

Congratulations to the The Southeast Michigan ePrescribing Initiative (SEMI) for winning the 2010 Health Information Technology (HIT) Innovation...
June 30, 2010

Top 5 HIT Questions Every Patient Should Ask Their Doctor

As  more and more doctors jump on board with electronic prescribing, it is important for patients to know what questions to ask before choosing a...
June 25, 2010

Psychiatrists are Gearing up for E-prescribing Controlled Substances!

Psychiatrists are more eager than ever to get started prescribing controlled substances electronically.  Few specialties will be more affected by...
June 23, 2010

DrFirst Launches Rcopia Rewards!

Rcopia Rewards is a member appreciation program to say a special thank you to our most loyal customers with some great prizes! The first round of the...
June 22, 2010

It’s Time to Spread the Word to Patients!

A recent study that surveyed over 2,000 U.S. adults proves that although health care IT is spreading rapidly among our nation’s physicians, the...
June 21, 2010

All Aboard

More and more states are getting on board with the current trends in health data management.  First Minnesota and now Colorado have begun the...
June 18, 2010

Don’t Get Left Out in the Cold

Small practices may fear getting left out in the cold by the federal push to adopt Electronic Health Records, but DrFirst can ease your mind. CMS...
June 17, 2010

Want to Breathe Easier?

DrFirst’s eprescribing solution has a proven track record of increasing patient adherence to prescription medications.  According to a study by...
June 16, 2010

DrFirst is Helping Over 100 Vendors Meet “Meaningful Use” Requirements with our Gold Certified Solution!

Everyone knows electronic prescribing is a major factor in achieving “Meaningful Use” and attaining the MIPPA incentives…but not every vendor...
June 16, 2010

The Minnesota Health Information Exchange Partners with DrFirst to Exclusively Provide E-prescribing to Providers

The Minnesota Health Information Exchange (MN HIE) announces a partnership with DrFirst to provide seamless access to e-prescribing from the MN HIE...
June 9, 2010

IT’S LAUNCHED! Long Awaited AHRQ Grantee Conference Video!!

We've blogged before about our participation in the AHRQ e-prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS) study, linked you to FAQ’s from the DEA...
June 8, 2010

Congratulations AHRQ Grantee team!

Right to Left: Tom Sullivan, M.D.,  Grant Carrow, Ph.D., Michael Blackman, M.D.,  Ann McDonald,  Steve Kelleher,  Robert Lee,  Tom Gacquin, ...
June 7, 2010

Gimme the Facts! Just the Facts!

There are lots of questions and speculation floating around about e-prescribing controlled substances these days. Questions like: " Is the use of...
June 4, 2010

The First Step to E-prescribing Controlled Substances Has Been Taken!

DrFirst has released a press release in response to the June 3rd healthcare IT milestone.  Dr. Tom Sullivan performed the first ever live...
June 1, 2010

DrFirst Demonstrates the Nation’s First Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances (EPCS) system at AHRQ on June 3, 2010

Today marks a major milestone in healthcare IT history.  The DEA has officially lifted the restrictions against the use of electronic prescribing...
May 20, 2010

Do you want extra cash in your pocket?

The American Medical Association has created a quick and easy tool to calculate just how much money your office could be making by using a certified...
May 17, 2010

Tired of waiting to send controlled substances electronically?

In addition to posting the Interim Final Rule a few weeks ago, the DEA has announced that it will be LEGAL to send controlled substances...
May 13, 2010

Is Your Hospital Balancing Risk by Doing Automated Medication History Checks?

Here are some key excerpts adapted from the AHRQ on Medication Reconciliation. “Patients admitted to a hospital commonly receive new medications...
May 11, 2010

Get Ready for the MEDITECH CIO Technology Forum!

MEDITECH CIO Technology Forum Date: May 13-14, 2010 Location: Canton, MA The highly anticipated MEDITECH CIO Technology Forum starts this week! ...
May 10, 2010

Forget MIPPA and ARRA! E-prescribing can get you real long term ROI!

Sure, the financial incentives from the Federal government for e-prescribing are indeed a welcome bonus, but over the long haul, the operational...
May 6, 2010

How Ready Are You for E-Prescribing?

Take the Electronic Prescribing Readiness Assessment and see if you’re ready to start seeing the enormous benefits of electronic...
May 5, 2010

Don’t Implement E-prescribing with a Blindfold on! Pt 2

Encourage independent pharmacies in your area to become enabled for e prescribing, particularly patient favorites. You can help this effort by...
May 3, 2010

Don’t Implement E Prescribing with a Blindfold on! Pt 1

In order to make your e prescribing experience as successful as possible, we recommend following the Best Practices guide as adapted from...
April 30, 2010

Are You Carrying an Unnecessary Burden?

The New England Journal of Medicine recently published a study that closely followed a 5 provider practice for one year in attempts to determine what...
April 29, 2010

Over 100 HIT Vendors Have Chosen DrFirst for E-Prescribing!

DrFirst is proud to pass the 100 health IT vendor partner milestone, securing our Open Borders Program as the first choice for e-prescribing...
April 28, 2010

Only 2 Weeks Left Until the MEDITECH CIO Technology Forum!

MEDITECH CIO Technology Forum Date: May 13-14, 2010 Location: Canton, MA Talk to other MEDITECH CIOs face-to-face: “All scripts are e-signed by...
April 23, 2010

DrFirst’s Controlled Substance Pilot is Featured in Pain Management Magazine

DrFirst, one of the members of the E-Prescribing of Controlled Substances (EPCS) pilot program, has just been featured in MDNG’s Pain Management...
April 15, 2010

iPhone + eRx= Awesome

Beginning as the cool and trendy phone for the tech savvy crowd and evolving to being seen in the hands of everyone from middle schoolers to...
March 21, 2010

No State Left Behind: HHS Announces That All 50 States Have Been Awarded Grants

Well, all the states are covered. On Monday, March 15, 2010, HHS Secretary Sebelius announced that an additional $162 million in grant money was...
March 20, 2010

Electronic Prescribing Improves Medication Safety in Community-Based Office Practices

**The study participants used Rcopia by DrFirst as the e-prescribing application** Excerpt from study: Types of Prescribing Errors E-prescribing...
March 16, 2010

Looks like we finally “tipped!”

Surescripts released the highly anticipated 2009 National Progress Report on E-Prescribing last week at HIMSS10, and the results are spectacular....
March 11, 2010

Cornell Study Reveals a Seven-fold Decrease in Prescription Errors When E-Prescribing

Weill Cornell Medical College and one of their research teams led by Dr. Rainu Kaushal authored a study published on February 26th in the online...
March 8, 2010

Survey Says the Glass is Half Full!

Survey Shows Increased Confidence in Meeting Meaningful Use for Healthland Users Healthland, a DrFirst Certified Partner, has just released the...
March 5, 2010

Go Green with E-Prescribing

As industries across the country are recognizing both the ecological and economical benefits of adopting so called “green practices,” it is time...
March 4, 2010

Things to Consider When Investing in an EMR/EHR

The word is out: Starting in 2011 and ending in 2015, physicians and other “eligible professionals” who see Medicare and Medicaid patients will...
February 26, 2010

Meet the Smiling Faces of DrFirst at the 2010 HIMSS Conference!

Are you interested in learning more about electronic prescribing, prescription history, medication reconciliation or how to accurately pull formulary...
February 25, 2010

E-Prescribing of Controlled Substances: We’re doing that!

Education Session 176 Initial Experience with E-Prescribing of Controlled Substances: How It’s Done Wednesday, March 3, 1:00 PM – 2:00...
February 23, 2010

Florida Providers Beware of Doctor Shoppers!!

"Anti-drug advocates say Florida has become a magnet for pill buyers in part because it is the largest state in the nation without a...
February 22, 2010

Electronic Prescription “Fill Status”: A useful idea but a flawed standard

Perhaps you’ve heard of “Fill Status.” In 2006, it was tested as part of the AHRQ-funded e-prescribing study to be considered one of the...
February 19, 2010

Tackling 2 Major Road Blocks to E-Prescribing Adoption

“Why hasn’t electronic prescribing (eRx) gone mainstream yet?” One of the biggest challenges physicians face is that while internet...
February 17, 2010

Saving the Elderly With Medication Reconciliation

A recent British study published in the Oxford Journal states, “the average rate of Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) related hospital admissions is...
February 16, 2010

Paving the Road to E-Prescribing Success

The most important key to the successful implementation of new technology in any practice is complete buy-in from providers and staff. If the...
February 1, 2010

Dear President Obama

Dear President Obama, Thanks for the incentives, but can you help us make some progress with standardizing e-prescribing regulations too? You, along...
January 29, 2010

New York Doctors Have Hit the E-Prescribing Incentive Jackpot!

NY State Medicaid has “seen the light and joined the fight!” The New York State Department of Health has recently announced that NY State...
January 27, 2010

Say NO to Drug Abuse By Saying YES To E-Prescribing

Doctors who are electronically prescribing have more power than ever to help put an end to our nations increasing prescription drug abuse...
January 25, 2010

Maximize Your E-Prescribing Benefits – E-Prescribing Best Practices From DrFirst

Evaluate your practice, and assess readiness for e-prescribing before you begin. Set objectives and get your entire office on board! What do you...
January 18, 2010

Is your HIS “SEEDIE Certified?”

MIPPA, ARRA, SEEDIE, HITECH, PQRI and CCHIT are just a few of the certification and incentive acronyms that doctors are being bombarded with these...
January 15, 2010

Luke: "I don't believe it" Yoda: "That is why you fail"

As the healthcare community is beginning to come around to the idea of embracing technology (with the push of federal regulations), there are...
December 24, 2009

2010 MIPPA: Will You Be Motivated by the Carrot or the Stick?

We’ve all heard the mantra: e-prescribing can make a difference in your day-to-day workload, helping you save time, gain practice efficiency, and...
December 16, 2009

Video Blog: DrFirst and MEDITECH

Imagine if an ER patient did not remember the strength and dosages of their given medications. The nurses, physicians, and staff could potentially be...
December 14, 2009

Robin: "Where'd you get a live fish, Batman?"

Batman: "The true crimefighter always carries everything he needs in his utility belt, Robin." As a protector of my patient’s safety, I consider...
December 7, 2009

ePrescribing: A Core Component of "Meaningful Use"

Much has been written about the definition of "Meaningful Use" (MU), the vague requirements for obtaining your piece of the $19 billion injection of...
November 25, 2009

E-Prescribing: The Automation Litmus Test

In a recent blog post on The Healthcare IT Guy, Shahid N. Shah warns physicians Don’t drink the Kool-Aid: Tips for easing into medical technology...
November 23, 2009

Pending ePrescribing Legislation In Massachusetts

Massachusetts, where I have been  living  for over 50 years (other than during some of my medical training), is generally at the front lines in the...
November 17, 2009

Kicking off the DrFirst Blog By Admitting Our Mistakes

Cameron Deemer joined DrFirst in early 2004, after stints with the giant PBM firm PCS Health Systems (where he was tapped to serve as one of three...

Request a Demo