Network to Disseminate Safety Alerts

March 26, 2008

Organizations representing health and malpractice insurers, physicians, government agencies, and drug and medical device manufacturers have launched a new network to send patient safety alerts via secure e-mail to physicians.

The Health Care Notification Network is designed to replace U.S. mail delivery of alerts from the Food and Drug Administration, manufacturers and others. Supporters of the network, including Johnson & Johnson and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America trade group, created the iHealth Alliance to govern the network.

Medem Inc., a San Francisco-based vendor of online software and services for physicians that was created by the American Medical Association and other physician societies, will operate the network.

Use of the network is free for physicians, who only need to visit hcnn.net to register. The site has no advertising; drug and device manufacturers will pay to use the network to transmit alerts to registered physicians. Manufacturers now pay to have alerts sent by postal mail.

Alerts sent to physicians via the Health Care Notification Network also can be sent to appropriate administrators in a practice or other provider facility. Supporting organizations are encouraging physicians to join the network.

Use of the network will not increase the number of alerts that physicians already get, says Edward Fotsch, M.D., CEO of Medem. And, they won’t receive electronic and paper alerts from the same manufacturers.

Medem is talking with manufacturers about using the network “and a lot of them are calling us,” Fotsch says.

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