Connecticut HIE Tool Works to Prevent Polypharmacy

Healthcare providers in Connecticut are increasingly taking advantage of a medication safety tool from Connie, the state’s nonprofit health information exchange.

The Medication Management tool — developed by Connie based on the work of the Medication Reconciliation and Polypharmacy Work Group, empowers healthcare providers not only by storing medication data and advancing deduplication processes, but also dispatching critical information to the point of care. 

As a result, Connecticut providers who use Connie have greater clarity into a patient’s use of prescribed medications, allowing for the prevention of polypharmacy, or the simultaneous use of multiple drugs to treat a single ailment or condition. 

The HIE said the tool’s demonstrated impact has paved the way for expansion of the program. 
“Polypharmacy is known to cause a lot of different consequences, including increased risk for adverse drug interactions, hospitalization, falls or even death,” said Sean M. Jeffery, Pharm.D., director of clinical pharmacy services at Integrated Care Partners and a member of the Medication Reconciliation and Polypharmacy Work Group, in a statement. “Since medication reconciliation is a challenge, having the right collaborative tools at our disposal is critical. The Medication Management tool is an important step in getting all providers on the same page and improving medication safety.” 

Connie’s most recent 12-month phase of the Medication Management tool (January 2023 through December 2023) led to a significant reduction of the volume of duplicated prescribed medications for roughly 3.15 million patients across the state of Connecticut, from 187.6 million medication lines down to 21.5 million. 

“For individuals in high-risk populations, such as those who are immunocompromised, having accurate, updated information is critical to avoiding adverse events,” said Jenn Searls, MHA, executive director of Connie, in a statement. “This is truly an industry-leading tool, as polypharmacy is one of the biggest challenges facing our national healthcare system.” 

Since Jan. 1, 2023, Connie has seen participation grow to include 42 hospitals and 1,978 ambulatory facilities, and dozens of other healthcare organizations.