Latest NewsApril 3, 2008
A new network to deliver drug safety alerts online to doctors has been launched in the US, replacing a widely criticised and decades-old system based upon paper and US mail.
The Health Care Notification Network (HCNN) is the result of a three-year effort and an unprecedented collaboration between US medical society leaders, liability carriers, health plans, consumer advocacy groups, government leaders and industry, including major pharmaceutical manufacturers.
The HCNN will also be available for rapid communication with physicians in the event of emergency public health or bio-terror events.
Recent surveys of practicing physicians reveal that more than 90% of physicians want drug safety alerts sent immediately online instead of in paper via US mail, and more than half wish to have a copy of the alerts also sent online to office staff.
The network is free to all licensed US physicians, and is used solely for patient safety alerts, not for advertising or promotion. It ensures the most rapid and effective delivery of important alerts to physicians, thereby improving patient safety and office efficiency while reducing liability and paperwork.
"Relying on paper-based US mail and weeks of delay to deliver time-urgent patient safety alerts to doctors in 2008 is indefensible and unsafe," explained Nancy Dickey, MD, former AMA president and chair of the iHealth Alliance, the not-for-profit board that governs the new HCNN service.
The iHealth Alliance credits FDA leadership for making the HCNN and immediate online patient safety alerts for physicians a reality, as the FDA recently updated its guidance for the pharmaceutical and device industry, and now actively encourages the use of online networks for patient safety alerts.
"Letters to health care providers often are screened by one or more 'gatekeepers' and may not reach the intended recipients - the providers who need the drug information for treating patients," explained Janet Woodcock, MD; deputy commissioner for Scientific and Medical Programs, CMO, and acting director Center for Drug Evaluation and Research US FDA.
"Gatekeepers often discard these important paper-based alerts as 'junk mail'. We applaud the efforts of Dr Dickey and her board to improve the delivery of important patient safety alerts to US physicians."
Jack Lewin, MD, chief executive officer of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) said: "Rapid delivery of drug safety information is critical in order for us to provide high quality care to our patients based on the latest data.
"We are confident that cardiologists will enroll and immediately appreciate the benefits of the HCNN. By taking advantage of this network, we can streamline care and save costs."