InterMed P.A. Selects Protocol Rx Solution for Managing Medication Refills

InterMed P.A. signs a contract with Refill Management Systems to provide software solution to manage the medication refill process.

 

MAINE, March, 2010 — Advancing healthcare technology is considered one of the solutions to the burgeoning healthcare crisis.  Innovation in electronic medical records (EMR), an information system that allows storage, retrieval and modification of records used by medical practices and hospitals, holds the promise of increased efficiencies and cost savings. Two Maine companies have signed an agreement intent on reaching those and other benefits derived from EMR technology advancements.

 

InterMed P.A., Maine’s largest private primary care  practice, has signed a two-year contract with innovative IT medical solutions provider Refill Management Systems (RMS), also of Maine, for delivery of Protocol Rx. Protocol Rx provides computer-aided decision support to medical assistants and nurses assisting physicians managing medication refills.

 

The Protocol Rx solution uses protocols to manage the medication refill process by collecting clinical data, such as blood tests, office visit and blood pressure readings from a patient’s EMR. The patient-specific data is then compared in real time with a customizable refill protocol and immediately provides recommendations to the user, such as additional testing needs, office follow-ups, and allowable number of refill days.

 

“Reducing the administrative load around managing refills lets us focus on the more important components of treatment, including effectiveness and patient education,” says Dan McCormack, InterMed P.A.’s CEO. “Given the thousands of medications available, tracking their monitoring requirements is a burdensome task Protocol Rx is going to alleviate for us as we strive to provide patients with the highest quality medical care.”

 

Protocol Rx is designed to track clinical data from a patient’s electronic chart and compares it to FDA monitoring recommendations. Says Dr. Scott Patch, a family physician and founder of Refill Management Systems, “Medication monitoring can be encompassed by a fairly standardized set of rules, and computers are extremely good at following rules. It’s not about letting computers provide advice to medical staff; it’s about improving efficiency and quality in the practice of medicine.”

 

About InterMed P.A.

InterMed, P.A., is a multi-specialty medical group dedicated to providing its patients with the highest quality medical care. InterMed doctors include primary care providers in internal medicine, family practice and pediatrics. Specialists include obstetrics and gynecology, infectious diseases, sports medicine, dermatology, radiology and podiatry. InterMed also offers full laboratory services, radiology, ultrasonography and physical therapy. For more information, please visit www.intermed.com.

 

About Refill Management Systems

Refill Management Systems, LLC, was founded in 2009 to address the significant burden that medical practices face in managing prescription refills. The founding partners, some of whom are practicing physicians, have eight years of experience designing EMR workflows and refill protocols, as well as ten years experience with software development. For more information, please visit www.refillmanagementsystems.com.