Emdeon and PDX Embark on Patient Medication History Initiative

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Emdeon Inc., a leading provider of healthcare revenue and payment cycle management and clinical information exchange solutions, and PDX – NHIN (www.pdxinc.com), a leader in pharmacy management solutions and services for retail pharmacy for almost thirty years, today jointly announced plans for an initiative designed to improve healthcare provider access to real-time medication history. Medication history will be delivered in real-time from PDX's Electronic Pharmacy Record (EPR) to Emdeon Clinical Exchange and then to authorized requesting hospitals, healthcare providers, health information exchanges (HIEs), skilled nursing facilities and ambulatory and acute inpatient settings. As a result, requesting healthcare entities will be able to access PDX's EPR-sourced medication history for prescriptions through a single real-time inquiry.

According to industry estimates, approximately 10% of hospital admissions are due to medication errors, allergies and interactions. By accessing pharmacy-sourced medication history in real-time, hospitals and other healthcare entities will be in a better position to reduce or eliminate gaps in medication history, more effectively manage the admissions and discharge process and better coordinate care transitions between community and institutional settings. In addition, real-time access to medication history also could potentially reduce opportunities for prescription drug abuse by delivering a more comprehensive patient record within seconds of inquiry.

"There is a critical industry need for greater access to accurate medication history, particularly in acute care settings," said Kevin Mahoney, executive vice president of Pharmacy Services for Emdeon. "This initiative with PDX is another indication of Emdeon's commitment to enable accurate and timely delivery of information designed to help improve clinical decisions and healthcare outcomes."

The PDX and Emdeon medication history initiative will be designed to enable access to millions of unique patient records through the delivery of medication history from PDX's EPR and Emdeon's pharmacy claims data. As a result, it is expected that authorized healthcare entities no longer would be required to solely depend upon the information provided by a patient's insurance carrier or upon the patient's ability to convey an accurate medication history. More accurate medication history at the point of care and during transitions in care can help save lives, improve care and clinical outcomes and potentially lower the cost of delivering healthcare.

"PDX is very excited to work with Emdeon on this initiative that we see as the first of several steps to position the retail pharmacy as a more direct participant in the overall healthcare of patients," said Ken Hill, PDX Founder and Chairman of the Board. "This initiative will strengthen access to accurate, up-to-date clinical information."

PDX's EPR is a portable, interoperable patient and prescription database that contains almost 100 million patients and over 1.3 billion transactions. All patients are uniquely identified, prescription information is derived from standardized clinical data and addresses are standardized to the USPS database.

Emdeon and its affiliates provide products and services designed to help healthcare delivery organizations achieve greater efficiency, facilitate coordinated care and improve clinical outcomes. As the single largest clinical, financial and administrative health information exchange in the U.S. healthcare system, Emdeon's network currently reaches approximately 500,000 providers, 81,000 dentists, 60,000 pharmacies, 5,000 hospitals, 1,200 payers and 300 labs.

About National Health Systems, Inc. Almost 10,000 pharmacies across the U.S. benefit from technologies provided by PDX® and affiliates Rx.com® and NHIN®. PDX continues to build on its 25+ year commitment to excellence in retail pharmacy and patient care. Its single-source, integrated solution is unmatched by any other single provider or group of technology providers. It features the fast, intuitive, and advanced Enterprise Pharmacy System -- already the choice of 17 chains and one major managed care plan; the portable, interoperable Rx.com Electronic Pharmacy Record which contains over 1.3 billion prescriptions and 100 million patients; industry-leading accounts receivable services from Absolute^AR; store-based mail order and central fill services from Rx.com; pharmaceutical manufacturer performance programs from Rx.com Manufacturer Services; and more.

About Emdeon
Emdeon is a leading provider of revenue and payment cycle management and clinical information exchange solutions, connecting payers, providers and patients in the U.S. healthcare system. Emdeon's offerings integrate and automate key business and administrative functions of its payer and provider customers throughout the patient encounter. Through the use of Emdeon's comprehensive suite of solutions, which are designed to easily integrate with existing technology infrastructures, customers are able to improve efficiency, reduce costs, increase cash flow and more efficiently manage the complex revenue and payment cycle and clinical information exchange processes. For more information, visit www.emdeon.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
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You should keep in mind that any forward-looking statement made by Emdeon herein, or elsewhere, speaks only as of the date on which made. Emdeon expressly disclaims any intent, obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements made herein to reflect any change in Emdeon's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based.

SOURCE Emdeon Inc.