UNC Health Care first in NC to integrate EHR with NC Controlled Substance Reporting System
In late June, UNC Health Care became the first organization in North Carolina to integrate its Epic Electronic Health Record (EHR) system with the NC Controlled Substance Reporting System, a giant step forward in empowering the system’s physicians to address the opioid epidemic.
Activation of this capability provides physicians with a one-click integration between Epic and the NC Controlled Substances Reporting System and reduces a 13-step process to three steps for providers to confirm prior controlled substance prescriptions.
In the first two weeks of use, the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) integration was used by more than 540 physicians across UNC Health Care to access more than 2,950 patient reports. When compared to the prior workflow, UNC Health Care estimates that the change has already saved its physicians approximately 119 hours in the two weeks of use.
More importantly, the functionality provides clinical information necessary to ensure that opioids and other controlled substances aren’t prescribed inappropriately.
“Our IT team has sliced through the technical ‘red tape’ to bring our physicians accurate, real-time information about each patient’s narcotic prescription history,” Dr. Matthew G. Ewend, President of UNC Physicians and Chief Quality and Value Officer for the UNC Health Care System, explained.
This functionality is possible thanks to a partnership between UNC Health Care’s Information Services Division team and Appriss Health, a provider of a comprehensive platform for substance use disorder. With Appriss Health’s PMP Gateway platform, the integration of the North Carolina Controlled Substances Reporting System into the EHR increases the ease of access and use of PDMP information when making critical clinical decisions.
