California Medical Association Partners With Epocrates to Provide Physicians With Latest in Mobile Technology
Posted on: Thursday, 14 July 2005, 09:01 CDT
SAN MATEO, Calif., July 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The California Medical Association (CMA) today announces a partnership with Epocrates that will make it easier for its 35,000 members to make better clinical decisions by using the latest in mobile medical technology. Through the agreement, CMA is offering a special member rate on all Epocrates solutions, which provide point-of-care access to important drug, disease and diagnostic information via mobile devices, such as PDAs and smartphones, as well as the Internet. Student and resident members will receive additional discounts.
"Epocrates allows physicians to make better clinical decisions, save time and improve quality of care," said CMA President Jack Lewin, M.D. "Our patient safety and technology committees are impressed by Epocrates' ability to bring the most relevant, updated clinical and formulary information to the physician immediately. Many of our members already use Epocrates and we believe this partnership will bring this superior product to thousands more."
Epocrates updates its clinical databases continuously, so CMA members will have access to the most current information as part of the Epocrates(R) Essentials clinical reference suite, individual applications and the Internet-based desktop reference Epocrates Rx Online(R). The CMA will also be able to send messages to the mobile devices of subscribers -- currently 17,000 California physicians -- through the Epocrates DocAlert(TM) messaging service. This new member benefit aims to further drive technology adoption by physicians practicing in California and provide them with the tools needed to practice safe and effective medicine.
"We are proud to be working with one of the largest state medical societies to help improve patient care in California and help CMA members spend less time on administrative functions and more time with patients," said Kirk Loevner, Epocrates president and CEO.
Epocrates recently surveyed 300 randomly selected California physicians who are currently using its products. Results showed that 95 percent believe mobile technology helped them provide better patient care and 70 percent reported that Epocrates helps them save at least 10 minutes per day.
"I've been using Epocrates and see the value it has added to my practice. I'm excited that the CMA is now offering this benefit to its members and look forward to more of my colleagues getting Epocrates," said J. Brennan Cassidy, M.D. and chair of the CMA Board of Trustees.
In addition to clinical information, physicians can also access insurance formulary information for more than 20 health plans in California, including Blue Shield of California, as well as non-profit Medicaid plans, such as L.A. Care Health Plan. In another recent survey, California physicians using the insurance formulary feature reported reducing callbacks from pharmacists regarding prescriptions not covered by a patient's insurance plan by nearly 55 percent.
About California Medical Association
California Medical Association's mission is to promote the science and art of medicine, the care and well-being of patients, the protection of the public health, and the betterment of the medical profession. It is the professional association of 35,000 physicians from all medical specialties and modes of practice. For more information, please visit http://www.cmanet.org/.
About Epocrates, Inc.
San Mateo, CA-based Epocrates is transforming the practice of medicine by providing innovative clinical tools at the point of care and deploying leading-edge technologies that enable communication. The company has built a clinical network connecting more than 1 in 4 U.S. physicians, students at every U.S. medical school and hundreds of thousands of other allied healthcare professionals with other healthcare stakeholders. Epocrates' products have shown a positive impact on patient safety, healthcare efficiency, and patient satisfaction. For more information, please visit http://www.epocrates.com/.
Epocrates, Inc.
CONTACT: Sam Roth of California Medical Association, +1-916-551-2031, orsroth@cmanet.org; or Erica Sniad of Epocrates, Inc., +1-650-227-6907, orpr@epocrates.com
Web site: http://www.cmanet.org/
Web site: http://www.epocrates.com/
Source: PRNewswire
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