Hospitals across the State of Alaska now have access to state prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) information at the point of care with the rollout of a statewide network deployed by Salt Lake City-based technology company Collective Medical.
This connection builds upon Alaska’s 2017 statewide rollout of the Collective network and platform, led by a collaboration between the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association (ASHNHA), the State of Alaska, and the Alaska Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians (AK-ACEP).
Alaska’s healthcare system serves a population of 740,000 spread across 663,000 square miles. Collaborative efforts to curb the opioid epidemic and better coordinate care across this rugged and massive geography have received national attention in recent months. In addition to the creation and adoption of evidence-based, clinical prescribing guidelines by providers across the state, ASHNHA and AK-ACEP pushed the statewide rollout and adoption of the Collective network and platform in 2017 so that providers could identify and collaborate on their highest needs patients in real-time.
Dr. Anne Zink, FACEP, emergency medicine director at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center in Palmer, Alaska, describes the combination of the Collective network, the insights provided by the PDMP and statewide prescribing guidelines as “transformational.” She adds that, “At Mat-Su, specifically, we’ve seen a 61 percent reduction in opioid scripts written between 2015 and 2017 and a 47 percent reduction in opioids given in the ED.”
The live connection between the Collective network and the state PDMP, powered by Appriss Health’s PMP Gateway clinical workflow integration solution, will enable providers across all points of care—not just those in emergent situations—to have the right information in real-time to quickly identify a patient with a potential opioid addiction, according to a press release.
Becky Hultberg, President and CEO at ASHNHA, said in a statement, “The goal isn’t to simply avoid writing a prescription for opiates. With the insights delivered through Collective by the PDMP, providers can change the conversation with a patient who has a possible addiction problem. Physicians can direct them toward help and coordinate with the patient’s broader care team to put them on the path to health.”
The Collective network is live in states across the country including Washington, California, Oregon, Massachusetts, Virginia, West Virginia, Alaska, New Mexico and many others. The network and Collective’s real-time, risk-adjusted event notification and care collaboration platform serves all points of care, including emergency department, inpatient, post-acute, mental and behavioral, and ambulatory settings, as well as ACOs and health plans, according to the company.
