ePocrates, Inc., the leading developer of clinical software for handheld devices, today announced that it is working with AdvancePCS, the nation’s largest pharmacy benefit management (PBM) company, on the launch of its new electronic prescribing application. This application allows physicians to electronically renew prescriptions via their handheld devices, saving time and increasing efficiency by reducing the administrative burden of phone, fax and mail communications currently required for such transactions.
“Our renewal application is unlike any other electronic prescription tool currently available,” said Dr. Richard Fiedotin, Vice President of Business Development and Product Development at ePocrates. “A physician can authorize a prescription with a single click on his handheld device. In addition, since we are focusing on renewals, rather than first-time prescriptions, the product does not require practice management system interfaces or wireless technology. Therefore, upon national release, the product can be deployed via the Internet and used immediately by any physician with a handheld device.”
"The ePocrates application is a promising new technology for simplifying the prescription renewal process,” said Dr. Eric Rosenberg of ProHealth Physicians in Hartford, Conn. “It saves time for both the patient and the physician, assuring that patients receive their prescription renewal with less hassle. I am hoping for a rapid dissemination of this technology to improve my practice.”
Prescription renewal requests are initiated by AdvancePCS and sent to physicians’ handheld devices each time the doctor connects to the ePocrates server via the Internet. Physicians can then choose to renew the prescription as written, modify it, or request a patient office visit. The responses are transmitted back to the PBM each time the physician connects to the ePocrates server via the Internet. All patient data is protected during transmission by Certicom’s state-of-the-art encryption and digital-signature technology for mobile devices."
ePocrates flagship product, the qRx™ clinical drug reference guide, is currently used by over 200,000 healthcare professionals, including more than 96,000 physicians. According to data extrapolated from a study presented at the American Medical Informatics Association in November, ePocrates qRx may be helping doctors avoid more than 2 million adverse drug events each year. The study, conducted by investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, also showed that the ePocrates qRx reference guide saved time and improved the physician-patient relationship.
This month, ePocrates is also releasing qID™, an infectious disease application for handheld computers that helps physicians quickly select appropriate antimicrobial treatments.
About ePocrates
ePocrates, Inc. is the largest handheld physician network enabling quick point-of-care access to important clinical information. Since the launch of its flagship product, qRx, in November 1999, the network has grown to nearly 100,000 physicians. Future products include a formulary reference application and additional clinical content tools. Headquartered in San Carlos, Calif., ePocrates is a privately held company led by the President and CEO John E. Voris, former PCS Health Systems COO and Eli Lilly veteran. The company was founded in 1998 by Richard Fiedotin, M.D. and Jeff Tangney and is funded by Sprout Group, Bay City Capital, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, InterWest and Three Arch Partners. For more information, please visit www.epocrates.com.
