Gold Standard Multimedia's eMPOWERx - Wireless Medication Management System

eMPOWERx wirelessly brings real time, patient-specific medication histories and clinical drug information to the point of care optimizing medication management.

Situation

Morbidity and mortality as a result of sub-optimal medication use is well documented. Challenges in the coordination of patient care between providers coupled with the growing volume of drug information has created a level of unprecedented complexity in drug therapy selection and monitoring. It should be of no surprise that prescription drug benefits remain the fastest growing component of healthcare. Of the two components contributing to double digit increases in prescription drug expenditures, price of medications and utilization of medications, utilization accounts for the vast majority of the increase year after year. Despite this fact, many of the resources dedicated to saving money within a health plan focus only on the price of medications.

Solution

Technology has a place in the delivery of healthcare by improving the use of knowledge at the point of care thereby enhancing patient safety, improving therapeutic outcomes and educating providers on fiscally responsible decision. eMPOWERx is a wireless, real-time patient care application that provides physicians with an unbiased drug information database integrated with health plan formularies. The application also provides real-time, patient specific medication histories allowing the provider to review the patient’s entire medication regimen minimizing the opportunities for duplications in therapy, drug interactions and additional therapies as a result of adverse drug reactions.

Better Health & Lower Costs

eMPOWERx has demonstrated an impact on overall medication utilization. When compared to an appropriately matched control group, physicians using the application write 4.1% fewer prescriptions every month. In conservative estimates, the return on investment per physician, only considering the decrease in prescription volume, is 4.5:1. Analyses are currently underway to quantify the economic impact patient safety has contributed when considering minimizing drug interactions and adverse drug events. Fraud and abuse, an entirely different issue draining healthcare resources, has been dramatically impacted by eMPOWERx. Although the impact is challenging to quantify, providers using the application qualify this impact daily in their practices. By having real-time, patient specific medication histories at the point of care, physicians can now make informed decisions about treatment options.