Electronic Health Reporter

Montvale, NJ: September 17, 2013 – PDR Network, the leading aggregator and distributor of FDA-approved patient drug safety and support services for electronic health record (EHR) and e-prescribing solutions, announced the launch of PDR+ for Patients, a new resource delivering patient-focused prescribing information to healthcare providers directly through their EHR system. This new solution puts easy-to-understand drug information directly within workflow, allowing providers to access it with a click when prescribing for a productive treatment discussion to help patients better understand their treatment and motivate them to remain adherent to it.

PDR Network market research has shown that patients want information on their therapy – from the healthcare provider that prescribes the medication. Receiving patient-friendly information directly from their provider gives them the confidence to ask any questions before they leave the office – and the confidence to get started on the therapy without delay. Patients report that they often receive information on their medications that seems overwhelming and largely focused on product warnings, side effects, and rare adverse events. While they appreciate the importance of this information, they also want to:

– Understand the potential benefits of the medication;
– Know when the medication will begin to work; and
– Learn how their progress will be tracked by their healthcare provider.

PDR+ for Patients offers information written expressly for the patient, opening the opportunity for a constructive provider-patient discussion that can make them comfortable with their treatment at the start by addressing concerns that could later become adherence pitfalls.

“Healthcare providers understand the links between patient education, treatment adherence, and positive health outcomes, yet they are challenged by time and the availability of credible patient information,” said Richard Altus, President of PDR Network. “By developing PDR+ and making it exclusively available within the provider’s EHR workflow, we are eliminating barriers to adherence with credible information geared toward their patients accessible at the touch of a button.”

PDR+ for Patients is available directly through EHR systems as part of the PDR suite of interactive EHR solutions. Healthcare providers can access PDR+ now within PDR® BRIEF – the solution they already rely on for trusted prescribing information inside their EHR system.

Addressing Adherence from the Beginning 
Many prescriptions never make it to the pharmacy and more are never picked up. In all, only about 85 percent of prescriptions written are actually dispensed to patients.[i]  In some instances as many as 40 percent of patients then fail to remain adherent to their medication.[ii] PDR+ was developed using the principals of adherence to improve the patient’s understanding of their medication at the most critical treatment point – the moment their medication is prescribed:

• How the medication may benefit them   • When they may see results
• How their progress will be measured     • Side effects and ways to manage them[iii]

PDR+ for Patients helps to address patients’ fundamental concerns, setting them on the right path to positive health outcomes.

About PDR Network
PDR Network, LLC is the leading distributor of FDA-approved drug labeling, safety and REMS information, as well as medication adherence and product support programs, through the Physicians’ Desk Reference® suite of digital and print services. PDR Network’s innovative products deliver industry-leading content to prescribers and patients across channels, including via its growing “PDR Certified” EHR vendor network that now includes 28 leading partners, delivering valuable PDR services via 225 EHR platforms, and reaching more than 160,000 EHR-based prescribers. For more information, please visit PDRNetwork.com.

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