Company Joins National ePrescribing Patient Safety InitiativeCHICAGO and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 5, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ — Allscripts
(Nasdaq: MDRX), the leading provider of clinical software, connectivity and
information solutions that physicians use to improve healthcare, and
NaviMedix, Inc., the leader and innovator in automating provider
communications with health plans, care management companies and other industry
participants, announced an agreement to provide the eRx NOW(SM) ePrescribing
solution from Allscripts to NaviMedix’s nationwide network of more than
190,000 physician customers. eRx NOW will be offered at no cost to users of
NaviNet(R), NaviMedix’s free web-based provider communications solution.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061005/ALLSCRIPTSLOGO-b )
As part of the agreement, NaviMedix also will become an executive sponsor
of the National ePrescribing Patient Safety Coalition(SM) (NEPSI(SM)) — a
$100 million campaign to offer free electronic prescribing technology to every
physician in America. NaviMedix joins existing NEPSI co-leaders Allscripts
and Dell; technology sponsors Cisco, Fujitsu, Microsoft, and Sprint;
healthcare sponsors Aetna, Horizon BCBS of New Jersey, WellPoint; information
sponsor Wolters Kluwer Health; connectivity sponsor SureScripts; and search
sponsor Google. The companies also announced plans to collaborate on
additional services and integration that will enhance the value and efficiency
of each company’s solutions.
“NaviMedix is very excited to be joining the NEPSI coalition and
supporting increased adoption of electronic prescribing. We have the ability
to accelerate adoption by giving healthcare providers across the country an
easy and convenient way to access eRx NOW via our network of electronically
linked physician offices and hospitals,” said Tim Hargarten, President and
Chief Executive Officer of NaviMedix. “Providing a comprehensive ePrescribing
platform for free to NaviNet users will greatly expand the value of our
solutions to our 190,000 providers as well as our customers and partners who
sponsor NaviNet.”
The NEPSI coalition was launched in January to address the public crisis
surrounding preventable medication errors, which injure at least 1.5 million
Americans and claim more than 7,000 lives each year, according to a July 2006
study by the federally-funded Institute of Medicine (IOM). The IOM report
called on all of the nation’s physicians to adopt electronic prescribing by
2010, yet acknowledged that many have been reluctant to use the technology
because of a perception that it costs too much and requires too much time to
learn and install. NEPSI addresses those barriers by providing physicians
simple, safe and secure electronic prescribing at no cost.
The free NEPSI solution, eRx NOW, is web-based software powered by the
same engine used today by more than 20,000 physicians to write millions of
electronic prescriptions each year. Designed to appeal to physicians in solo
practice or small groups, eRx NOW is available free to any healthcare provider
with legal authority to prescribe medications, and requires no download, no
new hardware, and minimal training. The product can quickly generate secure
electronic prescriptions and deliver them computer-to-computer or via
electronic fax to nearly 70,000 retail pharmacies — more than 95 percent of
all U.S. pharmacies — via SureScripts. All prescriptions are instantly
checked for potentially harmful interactions with a patient’s other
medications using a real-time complete medication database provided by Wolters
Kluwer Health, as well as real-time notification of insurance formulary status
from leading payers, plans and pharmacy benefit managers. Clinicians also can
use eRx NOW to search and find targeted health-related information for
themselves or patients using the NEPSI Custom Search Engine from Google.
“We are excited to welcome NaviMedix to the NEPSI coalition and to provide
eRx NOW to their network of physicians across the country,” said Glen Tullman,
Co-Chair of NEPSI and Chief Executive Officer of Allscripts. “Our partnership
is another strong step towards fulfilling the NEPSI goal of enabling every
physician in America to prescribe electronically for maximum patient safety.”
Dr. James Coffin, General Manager of Healthcare and Life Sciences for Dell
— the national sponsor of NEPSI — commented, “Electronic prescribing and
other enabling technologies, such as electronic health records, hold great
promise as a means to help upgrade our nation’s healthcare system and improve
patient care. Dell works with partners, such as Allscripts and NaviMedix, to
deliver solutions to help improve the quality, efficiency and productivity of
healthcare.”
Interested providers can visit the NEPSI web site,
http://www.nationaleRx.com, to register for the program, or NaviMedix’s
electronic prescribing web site, http://www.aboutnavinet.com/erx, to register
for the program and to request free access to NaviNet.
About NaviMedix
NaviMedix is the leader and innovator in automating provider
communications with health plans, care management companies and other industry
participants, enhancing efficiency, reducing costs, improving relationships
and optimizing care. NaviMedix offers automated information exchange,
technology and services that deliver integrated business and clinical
information from multiple health plans and partners directly into the provider
office. Today, more than 190,000 physicians and 1500 hospitals across the
country use NaviMedix’s NaviNet(R) solutions and services to collaborate with
the nation’s leading health plans and healthcare service organizations. For
more information, visit http://www.navimedix.com or
http://www.aboutnavinet.com, or call 617-715-6000 or 800-805-7569.
About Allscripts
Allscripts is the leading provider of clinical software, connectivity and
information solutions that physicians use to improve healthcare. The Company’s
business units provide unique solutions that inform, connect and transform
healthcare. Allscripts award-winning software applications include Electronic
Health Records, practice management, e-prescribing, document imaging,
emergency department, and care management solutions, all offered through the
Company’s Clinical Solutions units. Additionally, Allscripts provides clinical
product education and connectivity solutions for physicians and patients
through its Physicians Interactive(TM) unit, and medication fulfillment
services through its Medication Services unit. To learn more, visit Allscripts
on the Web at https://www.allscripts.com.
This announcement may contain forward-looking statements about Allscripts
Healthcare Solutions that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements
are developed by combining currently available information with Allscripts
beliefs and assumptions. Forward-looking statements do not guarantee future
performance. Because Allscripts cannot predict all of the risks and
uncertainties that may affect it, or control the ones it does predict,
Allscripts’ actual results may be materially different from the results
expressed in its forward-looking statements. For a more complete discussion of
the risks, uncertainties and assumptions that may affect Allscripts, see the
Company’s 2006 Annual Report on Form 10-K, available through the Web site
maintained by the Securities and Exchange Commission at http://www.sec.gov.
SOURCE Allscripts
Dan Michelson, Chief Marketing Officer, +1-312-506-1217, dan.michelson@allscripts.com, or Todd Stein, Senior Manager-Public Relations, +1-312-506-1216, todd.stein@allscripts.com, both of Allscripts; or Alicia Allen, Marketing Manager of NaviMedix, Inc., +1-617-715-6488, aallen@navimedix.com
https://www.allscripts.com