Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs: Coming to a Pharmacy Near You

August 24, 2011 by Sarah Swidron

If your state doesn’t yet have a prescription drug monitoring program in place, it will soon. With most states, as well as Washington D.C., implementing PDMPs, and legal precedents leaning toward expanded liability on the part of the pharmacist, those looking to stay ahead of the regulatory curve are turning to prescription validation databases to build their in-house PDMP system.

A recent article in industry news outlet Drug Topics outlines some of the legal precedents that are shaping the discourse on PDMPs. Author Kathryn Foxhall notes that with the tide of legal arguments moving towards an increase in liability on the part of the pharmacist in drug interaction cases, most states will eventually move towards drafting laws that use prescription monitoring programs to curb fraudulently obtained prescriptions and doctor shopping, and that  pharmacists will likely have a legal obligation to administer those programs.

In addition, with the development of a national prescription medication program complete, many states are choosing to stay ahead of an impending federal mandate by voluntarily going online with the national program.

Independent and chain pharmacies in states without a current PDMP would be wise to follow the lead of those states voluntarily participating in the federal program by making procedural and structural changes to prepare for the impending institution of prescription drug medication monitoring programs.

As public and legislative eyes turn more toward the problem of opioid addiction and prescription drug abuse, it’s only a matter of time until every state is required – either by state or federal legislation – to participate in prescription medication programs. According to the latest information provided by the DEA’s Office of Diversion Control, 35 states have fully operational prescription drug monitoring programs, 14 (including the District of Columbia) are partially operational and 2 have pending legislation. Forward-thinking pharmacies that begin planning for this impending legislation will be better suited to minimize the disruption of regular business as well as the cost of changeover.

Pharmacies can look to Healthcare Data Solutions to find the accurate prescriber data that is essential to creating an effective prescriber validation database and will ultimately be instrumental in complying with prescription drug monitoring programs that are on the horizon. Healthcare Data Solutions’ comprehensive and up-to-date prescriber validation databases are cleansed and updated weekly to provide the most accurate prescriber validation information available, assuring pharmacies a solid foundation of data on which to build their validation program.

Contact Healthcare Data Solutions today to learn more about how HDS products and services can assist with your state’s current or impending prescription drug monitoring program.

Data Validation: 3 Reasons For It

July 1, 2011 by Sarah Swidron

When it comes to healthcare marketing programs, the driving factor of all efforts is return on investment (ROI). In a marketplace that is increasingly cluttered with noise from competing manufacturers and distributors making prescribers increasingly difficult to reach, the validation of the data in your healthcare marketing contact list can make all the difference in creating a program that is successful. Why is data hygiene and validation so important to your healthcare marketing program? Here’s why.

1. Because at least ¼ of your data is incomplete or wrong. According to an Aberdeen Group study of 176 organizations, respondents estimated that at least 25% or more of customer master data sets were incomplete or outdated.
2. Because it’s costing you money. Ovum estimates that bad data costs US businesses $700 billion a year in inefficiencies and lost customers. Misdirected communications, poor data management, and inaccurate data in your prescriber marketing lists are all factors that contribute to your healthcare marketing organization’s wasted budget dollars and missed revenue opportunities.
3. Because it’s costing you time. The aforementioned Aberdeen Group study estimates that it takes 13 hours or more to find and fix a single data exception or error, and respondents estimated that there is an average of 71 errors for every 1,000 data records. That means that if you were to undertake a cleansing of your healthcare marketing contact lists yourself, it would take you 923 hours to clean 1,000 records—time that you simply don’t have.

Fortunately, there’s a solution: HDS’ PrescriberPRO Database and Hygiene Services. HDS’ Research Center utilizes an evidence-based data model to drive a daily update process to ensure that the PrescriberPRO database remains the most accurate in the industry. Our Data Hygiene service can put your data through the same thorough testing, validation, and cleansing to ensure that your customer master data set is accurate, saving you both time and money. We’ll report back to you not only on the data you have, but also the data you are missing that we can append.

Contact Healthcare Data Solutions today to learn more about how our products and services can increase the efficiency and the efficacy of your healthcare marketing programs.