CORHIO Launches Pilot to Integrate Prescription Drug Data in the HIE

A multi-organization collaboration aims to provide easier access to prescription drug information to help Colorado healthcare providers curb opioid abuse and improve clinical decision-making.

Colorado ranks 12^th among U.S. states* in terms of rates of misuse and abuse of prescription opioids. There are several statewide initiatives underway to curb this epidemic, including the Colorado State Board of Pharmacy’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). The PDMP includes a database of prescribed and dispensed controlled substances, which plays a vital role in helping providers identify at-risk patients. CORHIO is excited to announce a pilot to give qualified providers on our network access to this information via the PatientCare 360® health information exchange portal.

“This is an incredibly important project for the healthcare community in our state,” says Kate Horle, Chief Operations Officer at CORHIO. “The Colorado PDMP is a valuable tool that enables healthcare providers to spot and stop opioid abuse and we hope that making access available through our network will increase usage – and ultimately help Coloradoans be healthier.”

In partnership with The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, CORHIO will work with Colorado’s PDMP vendor, Appriss, to connect our HIE portal environment, PatientCare 360, to the PDMP. CORHIO will pilot test the PDMP-HIE connection in emergency departments within the HealthONE system.

Easy Access Via Web Portal

Prescription drug data is in high demand by CORHIO participants. In fact, in a recent survey, 64% of CORHIO customers selected “Medications Prescribed” as additional data they want in the HIE. Once this pilot program is concluded and the PDMP data is more broadly available to CORHIO users, access to information in the HIE and the PDMP will be within the same workflow. When a patient is queried in the PatientCare 360 web portal longitudinal health record, the real-time PDMP data will show on their medications tab. This data will include a list of PDMP-specific drugs that have been filled, in a history format, beginning with most recent.

Crucial Time Savings at the Point of Care

Particularly in a busy emergency department, providers do not always have time to log into the PDMP to check for prescription drug information when caring for a patient. Many ED providers regularly use CORHIO’s PatientCare 360 to search for patient history, especially when a patient is unable to speak or communicate. It is hoped that by making PDMP data readily available through the CORHIO system, providers will save time and return to the patient armed with more specific information. For example, a quick check of a patient’s PDMP record before prescribing pain medication could allow the provider to discover a drug abuse situation and redirect the patient to behavioral health treatment. Or yielding limited or no previous prescription data could clear the way for providers to prescribe opioids with low risk.

The pilot is expected to take one year and at its conclusion, CORHIO plans to make PDMP data available to all authorized and properly trained PatientCare 360 users.

*Source: http://denver.cbslocal.com/2017/06/07/opioid-colorado-hospital-association-sky-ridge/