Mobile Healthcare software news: Jan. 3 - 13, 2006

Epocrates mobile content goes online; Independence Blue Cross trials e-prescribing

Jan. 13, 2005 -- (MobileVillage) -- In this week's mobile healthcare news, Epocrates had announced an online version of its mobile drug and formulary guide, and the Philadelphia based Independence Blue Cross (IBC) has launched a pilot program for e-Prescribing.

Epocrates has announced today that clinicians and support staff can now access an online version of its free mobile drug and formulary guide. Epocrates Online provides clinicians with access to information on over 3,300 drugs, including dosing, pricing, potential drug interactions and Medicare Part D formulary coverage for more than 130 health plans and hundreds of Medicare Part D formularies. Healthcare professionals can obtain formulary status, drug coverage and alternative and generic drug options for their patients' health plans. For more information on Epocrates Online, see epocrates.com. For quick formation on the company, see the company's summary page on MobileVillage.

Independence Blue Cross Trials e-Prescribing

Philadelphia based Independence Blue Cross (IBC) is launching a new initiative to reduce drug prescribing errors and lower pharmacy costs by providing handheld electronic prescribing technology, known as e-Prescribing, to physicians in Southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The IBC pilot program for e-Prescribing is in step with the Pennsylvania eHealth Initiative's ambition to build a statewide electronic patient data network that is tied into a nationwide system -- a goal set by President George W. Bush's 2004 call for the health care community to switch from paper to electronic health records in the next decade. With that system, patients and doctors will securely have access medical records throughout the country.

Physicians who participate in the pilot will be provided handheld computers, software and training so they can fill and refill prescriptions electronically. Each doctor will be able to use a PDA to view a patient's drug history, get information about each patient's insurer's list of preferred drugs (formulary), find out about prescription benefits, and read a state-of-the-art drug guide. Doctors will also be able to check for drug interactions and allergies with the PDA.

IBC has selected two vendors for its 12-month e-Prescribing pilot program -- ZixCorp and AllScripts. Approximately 500 physicians will participate in the pilot, and IBC has invested over $1 million to deploy the e-Prescribing tools (e.g. computers and software) to these physicians. If successful, IBC will look to expand the pilot further.

One of the physicians participating in the pilot is Dr. Angelo Ratini, a physician at Radcliffe Family Practice, who estimates he writes 20 to 30 prescriptions a day. "The pilot has made our office more efficient and cut the time it takes to fill and refill a prescription," says Dr. Ratini. "It's also a big plus for our patients."

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