RxHub's New Service, RxHub MEDS, to Extend Physicians' Access to Up-to-Date Patient Medication History to the Hospital

SAN DIEGO -- RxHub, the company that electronically routes up-to-date patient medication history and pharmacy benefit information to physicians in their offices, today announced the launch of RxHub MEDS (Medication and Eligibility Delivery Solution), a new service designed to enable physicians to make safer, better informed decisions in the hospital. Beginning with the consent of the patient and their health plan for release of information, RxHub MEDS provides convenient access to medication history. This vital information has always been important for time-critical decisions, but has never before been so readily available to physicians treating patients in an inpatient setting. This new service, together with the RxHub outpatient service, was designed to enable physicians to make safer, and more informed decisions at every point in the medical care process.

Specifically, with RxHub MEDS:

-- Physicians can better avoid drug duplication and adverse drug events;

-- Physicians will have access to information that assists with

prescribing, assessing a patient's current health condition, and

recommending treatment.

Due to the complexity of medication prescribing practices, the potential for medication errors and adverse drug events (ADEs) has risen sharply. Reduction of such potential is a primary focus of hospital patient safety programs. One cause of inpatient adverse drug events is the lack of complete patient information. Not having this information at the point of care raises risks for the attending physicians (e.g., ordering prescriptions while not knowing about medications patients are currently taking).

Jim Bradley, CEO of RxHub, explained: "RxHub, through alliances with the largest pharmacy benefit managers that serve over 100 of the nation's leading health plans and insurers, can provide physicians and hospitals with medication history and pharmacy benefit information for more than 80 percent of commercially covered lives in the United States. The ability to deliver vital patient information to physicians and hospitals in a convenient, easy-to-use form represents a very important step forward in improving the quality of care," Bradley continued.

Clement McDonald, MD, of the Regenstrief Institute, a key participant in the RxHub program, commented, "A more complete picture of the patient's medications is one of the most common requests we hear from our physicians when caring for patients in the Emergency Department and at hospital admission. Without a clear understanding of a patient's medications, errors will be made and patients will be harmed."

"According to our research, while ADEs are a big problem for inpatients, they are probably four times as big a problem for outpatients," said J. Marc Overhage, MD, PhD who is an investigator at the Regenstrief Institute. "By partnering with RxHub, we hope to improve safety for our patients, the quality of their care and at the same time save money for the overall healthcare system."

Jon Zimmerman, vice president of e.Health for Siemens Medical Solutions Health Services, a key advocate of the RxHub program's goals, commented, "Medication errors and adverse drug events are rapidly moving to the top of the list of serious healthcare problems facing us today. The number of lost lives annually, and the financial impact of medical errors on the healthcare system, is enormous and unacceptable, and mandates that something be done." Zimmerman continued, "We view initiatives such as the RxHub MEDS program as a step towards significantly enhancing patient safety by reducing the risks of medication errors in hospitals and other clinical settings. By working with companies such as RxHub, we make a significant contribution to both saving human lives and dollars."

Paul W. Brient, president and CEO of PatientKeeper, highlighted the value of this alliance and its potential impact on national patient safety initiatives. "With hospitals strategizing how to best address the issue of medication safety, we can provide a solution that is not only cost-effective, but can be quickly and successfully implemented as doctors are already using handhelds in rapidly growing numbers. By combining RxHub MEDS with PatientKeeper's mobile enterprise system, hospitals can appreciably impact the number of medication errors and adverse drug reactions."

Barnes-Jewish Hospital, the largest hospital in Missouri and ranked in the top 10 each year by U.S. News & World Report, is embracing the new RxHub MEDS service to hospitals. "Systems such as RxHub MEDS offer physicians and hospital staff a lifesaving method of reducing medication errors and improving patient outcomes," said Steven Miller, MD, chief medical officer for Barnes- Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. "The caregivers at both the hospital and the entire BJC HealthCare System are committed to providing safe, quality healthcare to our patients every day and looking at ways this quality improvement initiative can control costs in the health care industry," Dr. Miller concluded.

RxHub LLC is the company that electronically routes up-to-date patient medication history and pharmacy benefit information to physicians in their offices. The delivery service RxHub provides is designed to enable access to patient medication history and benefit information so that physicians can make better informed decisions at every point of care. RxHub's ultimate goal is to help reduce the risk and occurrence of medication errors and adverse drug events, and to lower the number of deaths, injuries and disabilities that result annually.

Source: RxHub LLC