ROCKVILLE, MD, UNITED STATES - Feb 25, 2014 - DrFirst (HIMSS Booth #1891), a leading provider of healthcare IT solutions designed to improve clinical outcomes for patients, announced today that its new pharmacy savings program offered within the company's Patient Advisor℠ medication adherence platform has delivered an estimated $21 million in prescription savings opportunities in its first three months of operation. The savings stem from 1.34 million discounted prescriptions issued to patients who do not have prescription drug insurance, an average savings of $23.93, or approximately 39%, per qualifying prescription.

According to recent studies, low rates of medication adherence result in an increased risk of hospitalizations and hospital readmissions, and cost the healthcare system up to $317 billion annually in unnecessary costs. A patient's inability to afford medication is a leading contributor to this problem, particularly among patients without prescription drug insurance coverage.

DrFirst's Patient Advisor platform provides physicians with comprehensive data regarding their patients' medication adherence rates, as well as educational tools, and coupons in addition to its new pharmacy savings program. These features have been developed to ensure that physicians can be certain that their patients are fully informed about their medical conditions, while also having access to additional support in self-managing their health.

"We are very proud to offer this program to patients who have the greatest need for assistance. We are committed to empowering providers at the point of doctor-patient encounter by providing tools that improve patient outcomes. That's at the heart of everything that we do here at DrFirst," said James F. Chen, chairman and CEO of DrFirst. "We look forward to seeing the full impact that our new pharmacy savings program will have as we begin to expand the number of patients to whom we offer savings and as more physicians and patients become aware of these new features and benefits."

The Patient Advisor Pharmacy Savings Program is a new feature in Patient Advisor and is the only program of its type that is delivered digitally within the provider's e-prescribing workflow. The program is targeted at patients who have little or no prescription drug coverage and who might otherwise struggle to purchase their medications. In order to pair the cost savings of its pharmacy savings program with patients who lack prescription drug coverage, Patient Advisor verifies insurance eligibility and formulary information for each patient instantly based upon the medication prescribed by the provider. The discount information is sent electronically together with the prescription to the patient's pharmacy of choice.

"One of the major issues driving healthcare reform has been the need to improve the quality of care and the responsiveness of the healthcare industry to patients' needs," said Chris Cresswell, general manager of Patient Innovations at DrFirst. "Improving medication adherence rates is a major part of that equation, and that's why DrFirst continues to deliver innovative medication adherence solutions through our Patient Advisor platform. These solutions are designed to reduce barriers for patients and to empower physicians to actively engage with their patients to ensure that each patient is able to complete treatment plans as the physician intended."

DrFirst's Patient Advisor medication adherence platform is integrated within the company's Rcopia® e-prescribing system as well as in the systems of EMR and EHR systems that partner with DrFirst.

About DrFirst

DrFirst pioneers technology solutions that inform the doctor-patient point of encounter, optimizing provider access to patient information, enhancing the doctor's clinical view of the patient, and improving care delivery and clinical outcomes. Our growth is driven by a commitment to innovation, security, and reliability across a wide array of services, including Medication Management, Medication Adherence, and Secure Communication and Collaboration. We are proud of our track record of service to more than 300 EMR/EHR/HIS vendors and an extensive network of providers, hospitals and patients. For more information please visit www.drfirst.com.