Smartlink Health Enhances Opioid Prescribing Safety with Automated EHR-PDMP Integration

CARY, N.C. and STATESVILLE, N.C., Oct. 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Physician practices struggling to comply with state government restrictions on opioid prescriptions now have an easy means of satisfying the requirements designed to prevent overdoses and drug misuse. Smartlink Health Solutions, a pioneer in bidirectional health data exchange via the user interface (UI), has automated the process of checking state prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) databases, which track all controlled-substance prescriptions, with its flagship technology, Smartlink Data Connector.

Piedmont HealthCare, one of the largest physician-owned and directed multi-specialty groups in the Southeast, including 50 clinics and 200 physicians, is the first clinic to utilize Smartlink Data Connector to integrate with the North Carolina PDMP reporting system. With this milestone, the group has achieved improved compliance with state law, enhanced administrative efficiency, and virtually eliminated the risk of human error. Automating the PDMP database check process also allowed the clinic to cut its paper consumption by one-third, reducing reliance on printed patient information and improving HIPAA compliance in the process.

"Smartlink Data Connector is a huge win for our physicians, especially for our pain clinics," said Mike House, chief information officer of Piedmont HealthCare. "We've completely eliminated the potential for keying errors and bypassed the need for a staff person to manually check the PDMP database for our scheduled patients."

Surveys indicate prescribers often ignore the requirement to check PDMP databases before prescribing opioids or other controlled substances because the process is inefficient and the cost to integrate their Electronic Health Record (EHR) with the PDMP reporting system through traditional mechanisms is too costly. For example, the integration for Piedmont HealthCare involved the exchange of data between four different IT systems, which made the project unaffordable through other means of integration.

Using Smartlink Data Connector, Piedmont HealthCare has affordably streamlined the process by auto-checking the state PDMP reporting system based on that day's patient schedule and delivering actionable data back into the clinical workflow, without the need for human intervention. Prescribers access the PDMP risk score and patient report within their EHR during the patient visit and can quickly make an informed prescribing decision.

"The fact that this technology is able to automate complicated clinical and administrative workflows without going the traditional integration route is incredibly promising," said House. "The time and money it would have taken us to achieve this via four distinct system integrations would definitely not have been worth it."

The next generation in healthcare data exchange

Smartlink Data Connector is the 3rd generation brain child of Smartlink's CEO, Siu Tong, PhD. Previous generations of the technology have been deployed by 500 global companies across multiple industries and used to link tens of thousands of complex systems. Unlike other forms of healthcare integration, Smartlink Data Connector accesses data from virtually any source via the user interface. Smartlink Data Connector's ability to exchange data back and forth via the UI is much more efficient and affordable than traditional approaches.

"Piedmont HealthCare is a great example of where Smartlink Data Connector really shines," said Tong. "Traditional interface methods work well with heavy data loads, but there are many situations where traditional database interfaces are overkill from a time and cost standpoint. By contrast, our solution is lightweight, has a very fast implementation, and is particularly good when considering the amount of effort compared to the amount of data. Using the standard approaches for this use case would be like killing a mosquito with a cannon. I'm excited the solution is both freeing up valuable time at the clinic level and playing a part in combating the opioid epidemic."

About Smartlink Health Solutions

Smartlink Health Solutions offers patent-pending technology that provides bidirectional data liquidity in a fraction of the time and at less than half the cost of traditional approaches to integration, while eliminating the need for EHR or other system vendor involvement. In addition, Smartlink provides a single platform that enables physicians to leverage Medicare's annual wellness, behavioral health and care management programs as a strategic bridge in the journey from fee-for-service to value-based reimbursement. The secure platform seamlessly interfaces with EHRs and can be used alone or in combination with our experienced care management services team. For more information, visit SmartlinkHealth.com.

About Piedmont HealthCare

Piedmont HealthCare is one of the largest physician-owned and directed multi-specialty groups in North Carolina and the Southeast. We are committed to providing excellent care for the whole family. We have more than 50 convenient locations and nearly 200 physicians and providers across multiple specialties to provide the most innovative medical care for our community.

Piedmont HealthCare's physicians are committed to providing excellent and innovative medical care and services. Our patients have access to the latest in medical tests and procedures including x-ray, 2D and 3D Mammography, CT, MRI, ultrasound and in-house laboratories. If you want quality health care close to home, then Piedmont HealthCare is the answer for you.

SOURCE Smartlink Health Solutions

Related Links

https://www.smartlinkhealth.com

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