By Richard Anderson, MD, FACP
A physician’s in-box is a scary place. It is filled with dozens of pieces of junk mail and marketing solicitations that must be distinguished from clinical results, regulatory and insurance notifications educational materials, and on occasion, information critical to the care of patients that arrives without warning or pattern. It is good news, therefore, that somebody has done something useful to mitigate one critical aspect of this problem. The Health Care Notification Network (HCNN) is scheduled for formal launch in January. Medical professional liability insurers will be telling their insureds about this new venture very soon. Here is the background, kindly provided by David B. Troxel, MD, Medical Director of The Doctors Company. The Health Care Notification Network In an attempt to improve patient safety as related to prescription medications and other products, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has requested assistance in delivering electronic product related patient safety notices to health care providers so that they receive them as rapidly as possible. The current process, which relies on paper and the U.S. mail, is slow, expensive, and inefficient and leads to delays in notifying physicians and patients of important patient safety issues. The FDA notes that the resultant failure to inform physicians and patients of important patient safety issues in a timely fashion is a critical problem, so it is encouraging the delivery of notices online.
Over the past two years, a group of medical societies, liability carriers, and other groups have formed the iHealth Alliance, a not-for-profit corporation with goals that include improving patient safety using electronic media. The American Medical Association, a leader in this area, has also participated. The iHealth Alliance has worked with the FDA,manufacturers, medical societies, and others to create a network for delivering patient safety notifications to providers online that will fulfill FDA regulations and make the delivery timely, effective, and efficient for physicians.Key aspects of the Health Care Notification Network (HCNN) include the following:
1. It is free to physicians. (Their e-mail addresses will be used only for patient safety notifications, not for marketing purposes—no lists will be sold to or used by third parties.) 2. Physicians will receive the notices days to weeks ahead of current paper/U.S. mail–based notifications. 3. Physicians can identify additional e-mail recipients for office staff who should also receive these notices. 4. The funding for the HCNN comes from user fees paid by manufacturers. 5. Providers can opt out of the HCNN at any time.
The HCNN will provide rapid online communication with physicians for FDA-mandated product recalls and warnings to replace the existing paper notifications sent via U.S. mail. Physicians not enrolled in the HCNN or those who enroll but do not open their e-mail notifications will be notified via standard mail. Physicians can elect to have other practice staff members notified via e-mail to increase efficiency. Practices can also forward notifications via e-mail to their patients and post them on their Web sites.
The iHealth Alliance will also be working with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on the appropriate use of the HCNN for national public health emergencies, and the CDC has been offered a liaison seat on the iHealth Alliance board similar to the FDA’s liaison participation. It is hoped that in the near future,CDC emergency national public health messages and bioterrorism alerts will be added to the HCNN.
It is rare that we get a tool that advances patient care and simplifies clinical practice at the same time. I hope you will avail yourself of this valuable clinical channel when it becomes available. If you have questions or are interested in more information regarding the HCNN please contact Michael McGee at (415)644-3930.