ATLANTA, April 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- NDCHealth Corporation , a leading provider of healthcare technology and information solutions, today announced the general market availability of an upgraded version of NDC PharmacyRx(TM), the company’s network-based pharmacy practice management system geared to community pharmacy. New upgrade features are designed to optimize the prescription fulfillment process through “true” paperless e-prescribing functionality and a new advanced automation interface. Also included are HIPAA security enhancements to help pharmacies meet the security regulations as part of the 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
“The features included in this version of NDC PharmacyRx enable community pharmacy to increase quality and better compete in the market by improving operational efficiencies in filling new and refill prescriptions,” said Walter Hoff, chairman and chief executive officer, NDCHealth. “Also, the HIPAA security regulations, which go into effect later this month, bring a number of unique business challenges to the community pharmacist. The upgrade security features give the pharmacy the ability to control and audit user access to electronic health records.”
Joe Barton, RPh, owner of a Medicine Shoppe pharmacy in Alton, Ill., started with NDCHealth’s NDC PharmacyRx nearly four years ago. According to Barton, “There is nothing in the store that we install or back up. Everything’s on the Internet. It’s fast, efficient and easy to access.”
The new version of NDC PharmacyRx brings the following capabilities to independent and regional chain pharmacies:
-- True E-Prescribing - The Prescriber-Pharmacist Interface (PPI) feature replaces the need for the pharmacy to phone and fax connected physician prescribers for questions related to new and refill prescriptions. Prescriptions are sent to and from the pharmacy in a true, paperless environment.
-- Enhanced Prescription Processing - NDCHealth’s Advanced Automation Interface (AAI) facilitates seamless transaction data transfer from NDC PharmacyRx to “NDC PharmacyRx Compatible” pharmacy automation systems. This data transfer automates prescription filling, capping, sorting, and in some cases labeling and workflow. To date, Innovation Associates and Parata have applications officially recognized as “NDC PharmacyRx Compatible.”
-- New HIPAA Security Features - Security enhancements address the confidentiality and integrity of electronic protected health information (ePHI). These features include access controls, user authentication and audit logs, all of which complement key security technologies found in previous versions of the software. All security enhancements are designed to minimize the operational impact on everyday activities while maintaining high customer service levels.
-- Local Services Functionality - In support of business continuity, new contingency functionality offers off-line access to patient profiles. Local Services enables one designated machine per store as the Offline Reference System (ORS).
NDCHealth hosts NDC PharmacyRx at its Atlanta, Ga., data center, a computing environment that is continuously monitored with routine data back- up. The hosting environment eliminates worry over losing valuable customer data due to power outages, network or equipment failures. The Application Service Provider (ASP) architecture also allows flexible, yet authenticated and secure access to the system.
Pricing and Availability
NDC PharmacyRx is available directly through NDCHealth Pharmacy System Sales. Pricing for new customers is typically based on transaction volume, enabling customers to mitigate upfront capital investment in systems infrastructure. For more information, please contact NDCHealth at (800) 778-6711.
About NDCHealth Corporation
NDCHealth is a leading information solutions company serving all sectors of healthcare. Its network solutions have long been among the nation’s leading, automating the exchange of information among pharmacies, payers, hospitals and physicians. Its systems and information management solutions help improve operational efficiencies and business decision making for providers, retail pharmacy and pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Headquartered at Atlanta, Ga., NDCHealth provides information vital to the delivery of healthcare every day. For more information, visit http://www.ndchealth.com/ .
NDCHealth and NDC are trademarks of NDCHealth Corporation. All other company and product names mentioned may be trademarks of the company.
NDCHealth Corporation
CONTACT: Robin Wrinn of NDCHealth Corporation, +1-404-728-2214, orrobin.wrinn@ndchealth.com
Web site: http://www.ndchealth.com/