Technology streamlines prescribing of specialty therapies
AssistRx plans to roll out a new version of its iAssist software next year that will sit inside of physicians’ electronic medical records.
The Orlando-based healthcare technology solutions company plans to launch “One Click” in the first quarter of next year. The software will have the same capabilities as iAssist but rather than requiring physicians to use the iAssist website, the software will be embedded in the physicians’ own electronic medical record
AssistRx’s original iAssist software was developed to simplify the prescribing of high-cost specialty medications (including orphan drugs) by streamlining communications between prescribers, pharmacies, patients and manufacturers.
Since iAssist launched two years ago, 19 manufacturers have contracted to use the web-based technology for nearly 30 different specialty medications, which represent more than $17 billion in sales. For example, Swiss multinational pharmaceutical company Novartis uses the technology.
iAssist provides electronic prior authorization, signatures and patient consent; instant access to patient eligibility information; customized electronic enrollment forms; and portable access from any computer or web-equipped device. “It basically gives the billing pharmacy all the information they need to fill the prescription,” said Edward Hensley, co-founder of Orlando-based AssistRx.
The technology also gives users access to patient-specific protected healthcare information and securely transmits that information between providers. Drug manufacturers pay for the software, which is free for physicians to use.
“It eliminates unnecessary paperwork and follow-up calls, and removes the human interpretation of prescriber handwriting,” Hensley said. It also electronically tracks patient prescription history and sends prescriptions directly to the preferred pharmacy.
The technology decreases the time lag between a patient receiving a prescription and filling it from two and a half weeks to about 24 hours, Hensley said.
Hensley, AssistRx’s chief brand and business development officer, and Jeff Spafford, president and CEO, together created and launched the technology.
“When we created AssistRx, we were focused on finding ways to make the process more efficient and easier for everyone involved,” Hensley said.
AssistRx, which has 75 employees, also collects Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) consents from patients, further simplifying the process.
According to Hensley, AssistRx is on track to collect more than 150,000 HIPAA consents this year.
Next year, legislation goes into effect in the state of New York requiring electronic prescriptions for all prescription medications. This regulation aims to improve and monitor prescription accuracy and misuse. iAssist offers a solution to comply with that regulation.
Hensley and Spafford both have backgrounds in specialty pharmacy distribution and were part of the original management team at CuraScript Specialty Pharmacy, which was sold to pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts. CuraScript is now called Accredo. Hensley and Spafford also created Advanced Care Scripts, which was sold to specialty pharmacy Omnicare
iAssist’s capabilities:
Enables physicians to instantly prescribe specialty medications from any web-enabled device.
Assists in initiating most prior authorizations at site of care.
Provides a multifaceted approach to obtain patient’s HIPAA consent.
Provides access to patient eligibility information and customized electronic enrollment forms.
