Program to Certify Drug Safety in EHRs

PDR Network and iHealth Alliance have developed a drug safety certification program for electronic health records and e-prescribing systems.

Through its print and online Physicians’ Desk Reference and other products, PDR Network distributes Food and Drug Administration-approved drug, safety alerts and REMS (Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies) information via Web sites, mobile devices and embedded in EHRs.

The iHealth Alliance is a not-for-profit collaborative of stakeholders supporting initiatives to facilitate use of health information technologies while reducing risks for patients and providers.

For your consideration: Addressing drug shortages, how I.T. trailblazers are addressing drug safety.

The new certification program, called “PDR Certified” and with standards set by iHealth Alliance, is designed to improve drug safety, reduce provider liability and enable providers to assess if an EHR they are using or considering meets minimum criteria for drug safety. Among other criteria, certified EHRs must give access to full and current FDA-approved labeling, deliver time-sensitive alerts and REMS communications at the point of prescribing, report adverse drug events, and support FDA-compliant patient education and support services.

Certified vendors can display a “PDR Certified” logo in the EHR, on the corporate Web site and in marketing materials. More information is available at pdrcertified.org.