American Rheumatology Network’s Real-Time Registry Combines EHR, Pharmacy Dispensing Data

The American Rheumatology Network (ARN) has partnered with Trio Health to create a rheumatology registry, combining pharmacy dispensing data with EHR data on more than 75,000 patients.

The ARN is a physician-owned and -led affiliation of independent rheumatology practices. The new database includes patients within the ARN's national network and combines EHR, infusion and pharmacy information.

The organization said this will allow for improved coordination of patient care, longitudinal care tracking, identification of care trends and access disparities. The Trio Health-ARN registry will collect real-time, patient-level data from the time of prescription to pharmacy dispensation or in-office administration of a therapy. Such data will facilitate compliance and offer insights into patient access barriers. The registry offers nuanced insights such as tracking and reporting out-of-pocket costs for patients to providers and predicts how a patient's out-of-pocket cost may change quarter to quarter, the ARN said.

The size of the registry will allow the database to surface adverse events, enabling a population health benefit by gathering of real-world safety evidence versus voluntary reporting of safety events.

In a statement, ARN Executive Chairman, Colin C. Edgerton, M.D., said, "This is a huge advance and something rheumatologists have been waiting for, a real-time registry that combines electronic medical record data and pharmacy dispensing data in a way that allows critical insights into patient outcomes."