DrFirst  

Rockville,  MD 
United States
http://www.drfirst.com

• Booth: 2147

Profile

DrFirst enables stakeholders across the healthcare industry to use comprehensive real-time data and connectivity intelligently to increase their patient safety ratings, efficiency and profitability. Our integrated technologies include award-winning electronic prescribing platform, the most comprehensive medication history available, clinically specialized secure messaging, as well as patient medication adherence monitoring and benefits checking.

DrFirst pioneers software solutions and services that provide real-time access to patient data, improve communication and collaboration at the point of care and across the patient’s circle of caregivers, and enhance the doctor’s clinical view of the patient to help drive better health outcomes. Our growth is driven by a commitment to innovation and reliability.

 Press Releases

• DrFirst Adds Adobe Sign to Backline® Secure Care Collaboration Platform (Oct 16, 2019)

  DrFirst Adds Adobe Sign to Backline® Secure Care Collaboration Platform

  DrFirst is first to offer mobile-enabled, real-time document e-signature for patients and providers, protecting patient safety and reducing care delays

  September 10, 2019

  ROCKVILLE, Md. — DrFirst, the nation’s leading provider of e-prescribing, patient medication management, and price transparency solutions, announced today that its Backline secure care collaboration platform is now the first such mobile solution for the healthcare market to offer an e-signature capability.

  The integration of Adobe Sign, the most trusted e-signature solution, allows providers using Backline to notify patients, caregivers, or other clinicians on their mobile device via short messaging service (SMS) about documents that require signatures. Once received, the patient or provider can tap a link in the text message that will take them to a secure site where they can access, review, fill in missing information, and sign documents. The entire process is fully HIPPA compliant.

  “The relationship between provider, patient, and caregiver involves multiple signatures over time, for everything from caregiver consent for patient treatment to release of information to insurance companies for prior authorization,” said Bill Bedsworth, Senior Director, Document Cloud for Enterprise, Adobe (Nasdaq: ADBE). “With Adobe Sign integrated into the Backline care collaboration platform, health care teams can focus on meaningful experiences with patients rather than administrative tasks. And patients will benefit from that ability to quickly and securely sign their important medical documents from anywhere, saving them time and hassle.”

  Signing documents on a mobile device is more convenient for patients and providers and can eliminate delays in care associated with collecting physical, paper-based signatures or electronic signatures through email. Backline real-time care-team messaging and Adobe’s traceable document trail consolidated into a single secure messaging format promotes better continuity and coordination of care, safer patient communication, and improved patient outcomes.

  “In healthcare, every minute counts, especially when obtaining consent for a lifesaving intervention or releasing medical information to guide a clinical decision,” said G. Cameron Deemer, president of DrFirst. “That is why we are pleased to forge an agreement with a fellow market leader like Adobe to add this crucial e-signature capability to Backline. This enhancement is yet another way DrFirst continues to innovate and improve our solutions to support providers in achieving safer, higher quality care at lower costs.”

  Patients Prefer Text Messages

  Bringing e-signatures into Backline supports the way patients want to receive information from physicians. Only 10 percent of patients prefer to receive physician communications through patient portals, whereas twice that many (19.6 percent) favor receiving information via secure text messages, according to results from a survey conducted by DrFirst. Additionally, more than 90 percent of respondents would like the ability to communicate through secure text messaging with a family member’s care team if that loved one were ill. Likewise, marketing automation firm Emarsys reported that the response rate to text messages is 209 percent higher than phone calls, voicemail, email, or even Facebook messages while also having a 98-percent open rate.

  Backline secure care collaboration offers e-signature capability through its secure messaging solution. Built specifically for healthcare, Backline meets all HIPAA, HiTech Act, and Joint Commission requirements. The platform also offers the ease of text messaging with colleagues and patients without the risk of sending protected health information (PHI) over common, non-secure channels, which can result in costly HIPAA violations. With Adobe Sign’s integration, a provider can easily stay within Backline to notify a patient and create a link to access required documents.

  Once the documents are signed, Backline cross-checks against identified provider roles and preferences and sends a secure notification to all relevant care team members. Automatically notifying providers of signed documents and other materials in real-time is one of the many ways Backline delivers the right information to the right provider at the right time.

   

  About DrFirst

  DrFirst, the nation’s leading provider of e-prescribing, price transparency, and medication management solutions, enables stakeholders across the healthcare industry to use comprehensive real-time data and connectivity to increase their patient safety ratings, efficiency, and profitability. Today, more than 262,000 healthcare professionals (including 104,000 prescribers), 67,000 pharmacies, 1,300 acute care facilities, 23,000 ambulatory care facilities, and more than 320 electronic health record (EHR) and pharmacy system vendors depend on DrFirst’s innovative software solutions to improve clinical workflows, expedite secure collaboration across a patient’s care team, and drive better health outcomes. The company’s integrated technologies include its award-winning electronic prescribing platform, the most comprehensive medication history available, clinically specialized secure messaging, and patient medication adherence monitoring and benefits checking. Also, DrFirst was the first to offer e-prescribing for controlled substances (EPCS) and is considered the industry standard for providers nationwide. For more information, please visit www.drfirst.com or connect with us @DrFirst.

   

  DrFirst Media Contact:
  Jenn Cohen
  Amendola Communications
  404-759-3933
  jcohen@acmarketingpr.com

• DrFirst Integrates Mobile Device Access to Enable Fast, Seamless Single Sign-On to Backline® to Take the Friction Out of Care Collaboration (Oct 16, 2019)

  DrFirst Integrates Mobile Device Access to Enable Fast, Seamless Single Sign-On to Backline® to Take the Friction Out of Care Collaboration

  Launch marks the latest joint effort between DrFirst, Imprivata, and Forward Advantage to improve the healthcare experience for providers and patients

  August 7, 2019

  ROCKVILLE, MD. — DrFirst announced today their collaboration to deliver single sign-on (SSO) access to HIPAA compliant messaging is now available. Using DrFirst Backline and Imprivata Mobile Device Access to enable fast, secure access to shared mobile devices and applications, users can now securely communicate in real-time across care team members and patients without the burden of manual logins to access Backline.

  “By enabling SSO workflows on mobile devices, healthcare organizations can unlock the full potential of these devices, and their applications, by ensuring a fast, efficient workflow for clinicians, while maintaining and improving security and auditability,” said Dr. Sean Kelly, chief medical officer at Imprivata. “Imprivata Mobile Device Access delivers real ROI to healthcare organizations because it helps them optimize their investments in mobile hardware without compromising the security of PHI or usability and accessibility for clinicians.”

  Researchers have found that single sign-on improves productivity among providers, increases HIPAA compliance, decreases errors, and significantly reduces workflow disruptions. Research has shown that SSO reduced the time it took clinicians to access electronic medical records and other data by 45 minutes per shift. Another study found that the capability helped eliminate password-related IT help desk requests, which can minimize care delays and decrease costs.

  One such healthcare organization benefiting from SSO for Backline is King’s Daughters Health System in Brookhaven, MS. “We place a high emphasis on physician satisfaction and optimizing workflows throughout our facilities,” said Carl Smith, chief information officer at King’s Daughters. “When considering a partner to enhance our secure messaging capabilities, it was clear that DrFirst provided a robust solution that would meet our needs and empower all stakeholders across the care continuum. We are elated that this partnership is making such a difference within our organization while furthering our mission to provide great healthcare to our community.”

  The new SSO capability is an extension of the collaboration announced in 2018 between:

  • DrFirst, the nation’s leading provider of e-prescribing, price transparency, and medication management solution
  • Imprivata, the healthcare IT security company
  • and Forward Advantage, a global provider of healthcare IT solutions that improve clinical workflows and patient outcomes.

  Users will be able to access Backline seamlessly on shared clinical or personal mobile devices to communicate with colleagues, patients, and even caregivers, without needing to remember or enter another login ID.

  “Physicians and other providers have to log in and out of multiple applications and platforms all day long, adding to their administrative burden and frustration while distracting from patient care,” said G. Cameron Deemer, president of DrFirst. “We are constantly looking for opportunities to remove obstacles in the clinical workflow and allow medical staff to be more effective and efficient. Our research shows clinicians and patients prefer to receive messages by text. By integrating with Imprivata Mobile Device Access to enable SSO into Backline, we have made it easier for customers to optimize the use of secure communication in the delivery of care.”

  About DrFirst

  DrFirst, the nation’s leading provider of e-prescribing, price transparency, and medication management solutions, enables stakeholders across the healthcare industry to use comprehensive real-time data and connectivity to increase their patient safety ratings, efficiency, and profitability. Today, more than 220,000 healthcare professionals, 105,000 prescribers, 67,000 pharmacies, 1,000+ acute care facilities, 21,000+ ambulatory care facilities, and more than 300 electronic health record (EHR) and pharmacy system vendors depend on DrFirst’s innovative software solutions to improve clinical workflows, expedite secure collaboration across a patient’s care team, and drive better health outcomes. The company’s integrated technologies include its award-winning electronic prescribing platform, the most comprehensive medication history available, clinically specialized secure messaging, and patient medication adherence monitoring and benefits checking. Also, DrFirst was the first to offer e-prescribing for controlled substances (EPCS) and is considered the industry standard for providers nationwide. For more information, please visit www.drfirst.com or connect with us @DrFirst.

    

  DrFirst Media Contact:
  Jenn Cohen
  Amendola Communications
  404-759-3933
  jcohen@acmarketingpr.com

• DrFirst Integrates with Epic to Deliver In-Workflow Access to Robust Real-Time Prescription Benefits to Prescribers (Oct 16, 2019)

  DrFirst Integrates with Epic to Deliver In-Workflow Access to Robust Real-Time Prescription Benefits to Prescribers

  myBenefitCheck™ price transparency service provides in-workflow integration with Epic to eliminate sticker shock at the pharmacy, get patients on therapies faster

  August 1, 2019

  ROCKVILLE, MD – Of the two-thirds of Americans who have been prescribed a medication, 50 percent of them don’t take their drugs as prescribed[1] largely because of the high cost of the drugs and sticker shock at the pharmacy. Twenty to 30 percent of prescriptions are never even filled[2]. The impact ripples through healthcare. Each year, the impact of patients not taking their meds as prescribed leads to nearly 125,000 deaths, 10 percent of hospitalizations, and $100–$289 billion a year in additional healthcare costs.[3]

  With more than 25 million individuals enrolled in high-deductible health plans[4], 61 million enrolled in Medicare Parts A/B, and 76 million enrolled in Medicaid[5], pricing transparency is essential to help patients get on their medications and reduce the billions of dollars per year in preventable and unnecessary costs.

  DrFirst, the nation’s leading provider of e-prescribing, price transparency, and medication management solutions announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Epic, the industry’s leading provider of electronic health record (EHR) software, to make DrFirst’s myBenefitCheck (real-time benefit check) service available to clients into Epic’s RTPB (Real Time Prescription Benefits) prescribing workflow to help doctors and patients understand the cost of the drugs and drive medication adherence.

  With DrFirst, prescribers using Epic’s EHR can see patient- and payer-specific prescription drug information like copays and prior authorization status while the patient is in the office and before an order is sent to the pharmacy. Real-time access to this information promotes better collaboration between patient and prescriber and helps physicians identify therapeutic alternatives that are both clinically appropriate and affordable, based on the patient’s specific health plan benefits.

  “The high cost of medications is driving a growing prescription abandonment issue that can be addressed with the right information at the point of service,” said G. Cameron Deemer, president of DrFirst. “DrFirst has been delivering its MedHx® solution successfully to Epic users for years to provide higher quality medication history. Now, we are pleased to provide Epic and its clients access to DrFirst’s industry-leading benefit check service from within their EHR workflow while the patient is with the doctor. Adding myBenefitCheck closes a gap cited in the recent Kaiser Health News article that providers cannot get a complete price transparency solution from Surescripts alone, because many payers have chosen not to participate in that solution. By adding DrFirst myBenefitCheck to Epic’s EHR, providers have a solution that includes information from all available payers.”

  DrFirst pioneered prescription drug transparency, developing the first real-time benefit check solution in 2015 in collaboration with Humana. Since then, DrFirst has partnered with health information networks, payers, and providers like Surescripts, OptumRx (UnitedHealthcare), Cigna, and more, to provide a comprehensive solution for prescribers to access real-time costs through the largest pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) in the U.S. DrFirst myBenefitCheck is currently processing more than 2.8 million transactions per month and has helped more than 6.5 million patients. Out-of-pocket cost savings for patients have been as much as $640, and average around $11 for a 30-day prescription.

  By accessing a patient’s out-of-pocket cost for therapies, prescribers can help drive medication adherence and reduce prescription abandonment with in-workflow access to a patient’s out-of-pocket cost for different therapies. Accessing this information during a patient visit opens the door to a collaborative discussion about taking medications as prescribed and together, choosing the most cost-effective, therapeutically equivalent drug to achieve the desired health outcomes.

  Via myBenefitCheck, prescribers can check both covered and non-covered drugs, suggest lower cost alternatives to the patient, and provide opportunities for patient assistance programs to lower cost even further. Additionally, myBenefitCheck alerts physicians when a prior authorization is required by a patients’ benefit plan and suggests alternatives that do not require prior authorization, reducing patient and provider frustration and getting patients on therapies faster.

  About DrFirst

  DrFirst, the nation’s leading provider of e-prescribing, price transparency, and medication management solutions, enables stakeholders across the healthcare industry to use comprehensive real-time data and connectivity to increase their patient safety ratings, efficiency, and profitability. Today, more than 220,000 healthcare professionals, 105,000 prescribers, 67,000 pharmacies, 1,000+ acute care facilities, 21,000+ ambulatory care facilities, and more than 300 electronic health record (EHR) and pharmacy system vendors depend on DrFirst’s innovative software solutions to improve clinical workflows, expedite secure collaboration across a patient’s care team, and drive better health outcomes. The company’s integrated technologies include its award-winning electronic prescribing platform, the most comprehensive medication history available, clinically specialized secure messaging, and patient medication adherence monitoring and benefits checking. Also, DrFirst was the first to offer e-prescribing for controlled substances (EPCS) and is considered the industry standard for providers nationwide. For more information, please visit www.drfirst.com or connect with us @DrFirst.

   

  Media Contacts:
  DrFirst
  Jenn Cohen
  Amendola Communications
  404-759-3933
  jcohen@acmarketingpr.com

• PDX Inc. and DrFirst Collaborate to Reduce Rampant Prescription Abandonment (Oct 16, 2019)

  PDX Inc. and DrFirst Collaborate to Reduce Rampant Prescription Abandonment

  

  PDX and DrFirst address medication non-adherence together to improve patient outcomes and boost pharmacy profitability

  May 8, 2019

  FORT WORTH, TX – ​​​​​​​​​​By best estimates, patients who don’t adhere to their prescribed medication plans cost the U.S. health care system between $100 billion and $300 billion annually in likely avoidable healthcare services. These shocking numbers include the impact of the 20‐30 percent of prescriptions that patients abandon at pharmacies. To tackle this widespread, preventable issue, PDX Inc. and DrFirst are pleased to announce a joint effort to provide pharmacies with solutions designed to boost first-fill rates for new prescriptions and increase medication adherence.

  “Prescriptions go unfilled in our country due to financial concerns, a lack of understanding of why a drug is needed or sometimes just forgetting to get a script filled,” said G. Cameron Deemer, president of DrFirst. “Our partnership with PDX will focus on eliminating economic, behavioral and clinical barriers to getting patients on their therapies … and keeping them there. We are excited to work together to bend the curve on prescription abandonment and help patients improve their health in the process.”

  DrFirst is the nation’s leading provider of pricing transparency, e‐prescribing, and medication management solutions. They provide pharmacies with real-time access to patient data at the point of care to improve communication and collaboration across the patient’s care team. The company’s unique ability to leverage relationships across healthcare gives pharmacies the inter‐industry connectivity needed to improve patient care and safety, enhance pharmacy workflow and grow in‐store profitability.

  Leveraging its extensive experience and innovative pharmacy technology, PDX will work with DrFirst to introduce technology solutions to pharmacies aimed at increasing the fill rate of new prescriptions, increasing sales for pharmacies and improving patient lives. In addition to realizing increased revenue from new prescription sales, bringing more patients into the pharmacy means more opportunity for front-of-store sales.

  “We look forward to working with DrFirst to help resolve an issue that is so prevalent in pharmacy today,” PDX Vice President of Clinical Development Trey Ferguson said. “By bringing together the connections and expertise DrFirst has on the prescriber side with PDX’s expertise on the pharmacy side, we believe we can effectively address primary medication non-adherence for the betterment of patient lives and for the pharmacy industry.”

  The collaboration between PDX and DrFirst will keenly focus on reducing primary non-adherence, that is, driving first-fill rates for new prescriptions, to improve patient outcomes. The two companies will work together to help close the gap in patient care and drive patient engagement while also asserting the role of pharmacy in the healthcare journey.

  About PDX Inc.
  Pharmacies and health systems across the U.S. benefit from technologies and services provided by PDX Inc. PDX has developed a well-adopted, patient-centric Enterprise Pharmacy System, as well as a comprehensive suite of products and services that range from robust data analytics to revenue cycle management, a flexible clinical services platform and more. PDX continues to build on its 30-plus-year commitment to excellence in healthcare and optimal patient outcomes by delivering unmatched pharmacy and clinical technology solutions. For more information, please visit pdxinc.com or connect with us @PDXInc.

  About DrFirst
  DrFirst, the nation’s leading provider of e-prescribing, price transparency and medication management solutions, enables stakeholders across the healthcare industry to use comprehensive real-time data and connectivity to increase their patient safety ratings, efficiency and profitability. Today, more than 220,000 healthcare professionals, 75,000 prescribers, 67,000 pharmacies, hundreds of pharmacy systems and hundreds of electronic health record (EHR) vendors depend on DrFirst’s innovative software solutions to improve clinical workflows, expedite secure collaboration across a patient’s care team and drive better health outcomes. The company’s integrated technologies include its award-winning electronic prescribing platform, the most comprehensive medication history available, clinically specialized secure messaging and patient medication adherence monitoring and benefits checking. Also, DrFirst was the first to offer e-prescribing for controlled substances (EPCS) and is considered the industry standard for providers nationwide. For more information, please visit www.drfirst.com or connect with us @DrFirst.

  Press Contacts:​

  PDX Inc.
  Miranda Nguyen
  817-246-6760 ext. 4451
  mnguyen@pdxinc.com

  DrFirst
  Jenn Cohen
  Amendola Communications
  404‐759‐3933
  jcohen@acmarketingpr.com

• DrFirst Earns Acclaim from Frost & Sullivan for its Highly Secure, Patient-centric Communication Solution for the Care Collaboration Market (Oct 16, 2019)

  DrFirst Earns Acclaim from Frost & Sullivan for its Highly Secure, Patient-centric Communication Solution for the Care Collaboration Market

  

  DrFirst Backline™ ensures that care team members are equipped with seamless, efficient, real-time communication tools around the clock at any point-of-care

  May 1, 2019

  SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Based on its recent analysis of the North American market for secure text messaging for care collaboration, Frost & Sullivan recognized DrFirst, the nation’s leading provider of e-prescribing, medication management, and price transparency management solutions, with the 2019 North American Enabling Technology Leadership Award for its Backline secure collaboration solution. It is a HIPAA compliant, feature-rich, chat and texting application that is purpose-built for healthcare. The solution is offered as a stand-alone mobile app and is also available for desktops, which is particularly valuable for information sharing and communication with administrative staff.

  “Backline allows users to create secure one-on-one or group chats easily as well as to deliver push message notifications. Users can view availability and message status indicators including read receipts, acknowledgments, and timestamps, and can send and share multiple types of content including up to 20MB of photos, lab results, and audio or video files for better care collaboration and to support more efficient prior authorizations,” said Mike Jude, Research Manager of Digital Health. “Furthermore, DrFirst Backline is integrated with the West-Com nurse call system and has a call center module for case management, which is unique in the industry.”

  As the only mobile care coordination solution to feature patient-centered chat, Backline helps patient care team members collaborate and share patient-specific data immediately, inside or outside a facility. This feature offers significant value to DrFirst customers as it ensures true patient-centric care. Secure text messaging makes it easier to communicate with referring physicians and primary care providers, get the right medications to the right patients, view images and lab results, and even connect with the patient’s family members and caregivers. Efficient workflows lead to better care team collaboration and improved patient outcomes.

  DrFirst is exceptional in its ability to leverage a vast partner network for robust health information exchange among trusted patient care participants across its solution set and throughout healthcare. This network includes more than 220,000 healthcare professionals and 75,000 prescribers as well as thousands of acute care facilities, pharmacies, and ambulatory care facilities, and hundreds of EHR/HIS vendors. It gives healthcare professionals real-time access to crucial clinical information at the point-of-care and the means to perform a range of essential communication tasks to ensure the highest level of patient care and safety.

  “Significantly, DrFirst Backline and other DrFirst solutions can help providers meet myriad new requirements for value-based care and potentially qualify for government-based financial quality incentive programs such as MACRA/MIPS,” noted Jude. “Industry adoption of the platform has grown 1,000 fold in the last three years due to its adoption in all segments of the provider market, particularly the hospice and long-term care segments. Its security and strong value proposition for both patients and caregivers has positioned it for remarkable growth.”

  “We are delighted to be recognized by Frost & Sullivan for this prestigious award,” said G. Cameron Deemer, president of DrFirst. “We are focused on bringing together all participants in the healthcare ecosystem to bring a new level of communication, quality, and outcomes to patient care. This award is validation that we continue to lead the industry in effective and efficient care collaboration technology.”

  Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to a company that has developed a pioneering technology that not only enhances current products but also enables the development of new products and applications. The award recognizes the high market acceptance potential of the recipient’s technology.

  Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

  About DrFirst
  DrFirst, the nation’s leading provider of e-prescribing, price transparency, and medication management solutions enables stakeholders across the healthcare industry to use comprehensive real-time data and connectivity to increase patient safety ratings, efficiency, and profitability. Today, more than 220,000 healthcare professionals, 75,000 prescribers, and hundreds of electronic health record (EHR) and pharmacy vendors depend on DrFirst’s innovative software solutions to improve clinical workflows, expedite secure collaboration across a patient’s care team and drive better health outcomes. The company’s integrated technologies include its award-winning electronic prescribing platform, the most comprehensive medication history available, clinically specialized secure messaging, and patient medication adherence monitoring and benefits checking. In addition, DrFirst was the first to offer e-prescribing for controlled substances (EPCS) and is considered the industry standard for providers nationwide. For more information, please visit www.drfirst.com or connect with us @DrFirst.

  About Frost & Sullivan
  Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today’s market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion.

  Contact:
  Kristen Moore
  P: 210.247.3823
  E: kristen.moore@frost.com