Pharmacists in Texas and Louisiana Can Access the Free Service at www.surescripts.com/harvey
ARLINGTON, Va. & CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sep. 6, 2017–
In the wake of the devastating impact of Hurricane Harvey, Surescripts
and Allscripts (NASDAQ:MDRX) are collaborating to provide free access to
patient-specific medication history data for pharmacists in Texas and
Louisiana for a limited time. Pharmacists interested in utilizing the
service should visit www.surescripts.com/harvey
for instructions on how to become authorized to access the Allscripts
application through which they can then obtain patient consent to see a
12-month view of a patient’s medication history. Prescribers who do not
already utilize medication history data through their electronic health
record (EHR) software can also download the free, cloud-based
application to gain access.
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In response to Hurricane Harvey, the federal government declared public
health emergencies in Texas and Louisiana, granting Medicare
beneficiaries and their health care providers increased flexibility in
meeting emergency health needs and loosening some provisions of the HIPAA
Privacy Rule. Further, the Texas Pharmacy Act (Sec.
562.054) and board rule 291.34
allow a pharmacist to dispense up to a 30-day supply of a prescription
drug, other than a Schedule II controlled substance, without the
authorization of the prescribing practitioner.
“We take our role as the nation’s most trusted and capable health
information network very seriously, and we are proud to work with
Allscripts to support pharmacists in Texas and Louisiana as they respond
to patients in need,” said Tom Skelton, Chief Executive Officer of
Surescripts. “Most physicians already have access to medication history
data via their EHR software. However, during a natural disaster this
information is critical for pharmacists who may need to deliver
medications outside of normal practice patterns. In some situations, it
is a matter of life or death for critically ill patients who have been
displaced and may have lost their medications or can’t recall their
medication list.”
“As a trusted global leader in health care IT, we feel it is our
obligation to take action to enable providers to deliver the necessary
care to their patients in times of great crisis,” said Allscripts Chief
Executive Officer Paul Black. “Meeting the numerous challenges of an
emergency declaration requires innovative collaboration, and Allscripts
is proud to partner with Surescripts to ensure care providers and their
patients in the areas affected by Hurricane Harvey have the information
they need, when they need it.”
Thousands of residents throughout the region have been displaced from
their homes due to the massive flooding, with an estimated 10,000 people
living in shelters in Houston, including nursing home and hospital
patients. Many pharmacies, hospitals, clinics and doctor’s offices have
been closed, prescribing patterns have been disrupted, and many patients
will need to reconnect with their care regimens, likely in new settings.
In fact, Surescripts data showed a 93 percent decrease in the volume of
prescriptions delivered in the days immediately following the storm.
The nationwide Surescripts network connects more than one million
healthcare professionals and 230 million patients and provides
prescribers access to complete and up-to-date medication history data.
This information helps limit errors and adverse drug events. In 2016
alone, providers submitted more than 1.08 billion requests for patient
medication history data through the Surescripts network. The information
provided is sourced by community pharmacies, payers, and pharmacy
benefits managers, in accordance with all laws protecting the privacy
and security of patient health information.
Allscripts technology platform connects 45,000 physician offices and
185,000 clinicians, building an open, connected community of health
through solutions that enable smarter care, delivered with greater
precision, for healthier patients and populations. Allscripts ePrescribe
offers a private and secure comprehensive electronic prescribing
workflow largely considered the industry’s easiest-to-use e-prescribing
solution. The cloud-based Allscripts ePrescribe Special Edition will
enable pharmacists and physicians to pull medication history for the
patients affected by Hurricane Harvey.
This initiative builds on similar efforts in response to previous
storms. In 2005, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Surescripts
participated in a public-private initiative
to build an emergency prescription database to provide pharmacies and
clinicians access to patients’ prescription histories and allergies
online. Allscripts contributed to Katrina relief efforts as well by
making the ePrescribe solution available to clinicians caring for
patients affected by the disaster. The organizations are also watching
Hurricane Irma and considering response options should the situation
deteriorate and require similar support.
Deploying this program quickly enough to make a difference has required
incredible cross-market collaboration. Surescripts and Allscripts would
like to thank the many organizations who quickly stepped in and helped
make it possible to bring this program to Texas and Louisiana in this
time of need. To see a list of the many organizations involved, please
see www.surescripts.com/harvey
where additional information and resources are also available to assist
healthcare professionals in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.
About Allscripts
Allscripts (NASDAQ:MDRX) is a leader in healthcare information
technology solutions that advance clinical, financial and operational
results. Our innovative solutions connect people, places and data across
an Open, Connected Community of Health™. Connectivity empowers
caregivers and consumers to make better decisions, delivering better
care for healthier populations. To learn more, visit www.allscripts.com,
Twitter,
YouTube
and It
Takes A Community: The Allscripts Blog.
About Surescripts
Our purpose is to serve the nation with the single most trusted and
capable health information network. Since 2001, Surescripts has led the
movement to turn health data into actionable intelligence to increase
patient safety, lower costs and ensure quality care. Visit us at www.surescripts.com
and follow us at twitter.com/surescripts.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170906006529/en/
Source: Surescripts and Allscripts
Surescripts
Kelly Jeffers, 202-215-1250
kelly.jeffers@surescripts.com
or
Allscripts
Tom
Lynch, 312-386-6765
tom.lynch@allscripts.com