Council of Medical Specialty Societies Representing 500,000 Physicians Joins National Drug Alerts Network

National Medical Societies Provide Members with Immediate Access to Online Drug Alerts

(SAN FRANCISCO) – December 10, 2008 – The Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) has announced its support of the Health Care Notification Network (HCNN), an online Patient Safety Alert network that replaces a widely criticized, slow and decades-old system based upon paper-based Alerts delivered via U.S. mail.

“The Health Care Notification Network provides a critical service to doctors in every medical specialty,” said CMSS Vice President Norman B. Kahn, Jr., M.D. “By providing physicians with immediate, online delivery of specialty-specific Patient Safety Alerts, HCNN both protects patient safety and brings much needed efficiency to medicine.”

The HCNN was launched eight months ago and already reaches over 150,000 U.S. physicians as a result of the joint efforts of U.S. medical societies, universities, health plans, liability carriers, consumer advocacy groups, government leaders and industry. The HCNN is supported industry-wide because it significantly reduces delays in notifying physicians of important patient safety alerts, dramatically improving patient safety and limiting medical liability. Partnering organizations typically assist their members with HCNN enrollment through email outreach and pre-registration campaigns. The addition of CMSS expands the HCNN to include members of more than 30 medical societies representing 500,000 doctors.

“The Council of Medical Specialty Societies is an important new partner for the HCNN,” said Nancy Dickey, M.D., former AMA president and chair of the iHealth Alliance, the not-for-profit board that governs the new HCNN service. “With the support of CMSS, we are even closer to our goal of helping every physician and patient in the U.S. realize the immediate benefit of the HCNN.”

Free to all licensed U.S. physicians, the HCNN is used solely for Patient Safety Alerts, not for advertising or promotion. HCNN ensures the most rapid and effective delivery of these important Alerts, fulfilling the FDA’s new guidance for electronic communication of patient safety information. Physicians may also request that Alerts be delivered to their office staff, reducing paperwork and liability, and further improving patient safety and office efficiency. Physicians not yet enrolled in the HCNN will continue to receive paper-based Patient Safety Alerts via U.S. mail, typically a few weeks after the online delivery via the HCNN.

The HCNN is also a “Green” initiative because it reduces paper and mail, thereby saving trees and fuel.

For more information about the HCNN and online Patient Safety Alert services, visit www.hcnn.net.

About the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS)

The mission of CMSS is to provide a respected and influential voice for the medical specialty societies and their members by working with the societies and other medical organizations to formulate, articulate and promote adoption of policies that will improve the ’United States’ healthcare system and the health of the public.

About the Health Care Notification Network (HCNN)

The HCNN is the new online service that delivers FDA-mandated, product-related Patient Safety Alerts to physicians and other healthcare professionals via email. Currently, these alerts (also known as "Dear Doctor Letters") are sent to physicians on paper via traditional U.S. mail–a slow, error-prone process. The HCNN may also be used to notify physicians in the event of national public health emergencies or bio-terror events, and is governed by the not-for-profit iHealth alliance with network operations provided by Medem, Inc.

About the iHealth Alliance

The iHealth Alliance is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to protect the interests of patients and providers as healthcare increasingly moves online. The iHealth Alliance governs the Health Care Notification Network (HCNN) and ensures that the network is used only for patient safety alerts. The iHealth Alliance is chaired by Nancy W. Dickey, MD, past President of the AMA, President of Health Science Center and Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs for Texas A&M University. The Board of Directors is comprised of industry leaders from medical societies, liability carriers, patient advocacy groups and others dedicated to protecting the interest of patients and providers.

Press Contacts

HCNN:
Jason Willett
(415) 644-3926
press@hcnn.net