Surgeons, Endocrinologists and Emergency Medicine Add 100,000 Physicians to National Drug Alerts Network

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

(San Francisco, CA) – November 1, 2008 – The American College of Surgeons, The Endocrine Society, and the American College of Emergency Physicians today announced their participation in 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 HCNN was launched five months ago and already reaches more than 150,000 U.S. physicians as a result of the joint efforts of U.S. medical societies, liability carriers, health plans, consumer advocacy groups, government leaders and industry. The addition of these new national medical societies expands services to an additional 100,000 physicians.

“Surgeons, endocrinologists and emergency physicians are terrific new partners in this important national effort,” explained Nancy Dickey, MD, former AMA president and chair of the iHealth Alliance, the not-for-profit board that governs the new HCNN service. “Our goal is to have every physician subscribe to the HCNN by year’s end. We encourage all U.S. physicians to take 2 minutes and enroll today at www.hcnn.net. Physicians and their patients will realize immediate benefit.”

In addition to major medical societies, the HCNN is promoted by most liability carriers and many university medical centers 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.

Free to all licensed U.S. physicians, the HCNN is used solely for Patient Safety Alerts, not for advertising or promotion; and is governed by the iHealth Alliance. HCNN ensures the most rapid and effective delivery of these important Alerts, and fulfills new FDA guidance for electronic communication of patient safety notification. Physicians may also request that Alerts are delivered to their office staff, further improving patient safety and office efficiency by reducing paperwork and liability. 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 American College of Surgeons

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 73,000 members and it is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.

About The Endocrine Society

Founded in 1916, The Endocrine Society is the world's oldest, largest, and most active organization devoted to research on hormones and the clinical practice of endocrinology. Today, The Endocrine Society's membership consists of over 14,000 scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in more than 80 countries. Together, these members represent all basic, applied, and clinical interests in endocrinology. The Endocrine Society is based in Chevy Chase, Md. To learn more about the Society, and the field of endocrinology, visit our web site at www.endo-society.org.

About American College of Emergency Physicians

ACEP is a national medical specialty society representing emergency medicine with more than 26,000 members. ACEP is committed to advancing emergency care through continuing education, research and public education. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, ACEP has 53 chapters representing each state, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. A Government Services Chapter represents emergency physicians employed by military branches and other government agencies.

About the HCNN

The HCNN is the new online service that delivers important patient safety alerts that are product-related and mandated by the FDA, 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. The network 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