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Achieve Secures Additional Funding for Prior Authorization Study

Posted on: Tuesday, 1 August 2006, 12:01 CDT

Achieve Healthcare Technologies (www.achievehealthcare.com) recently secured an additional $240,000 with the assistance of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists Foundation (www.ascpfoundation.org) to study potential prior authorization standards for long-term care.

"This is a great opportunity to further define the viability of electronic prescribing in the elder care industry," said Jay Syverson, president and COO of Achieve Healthcare Technologies. "We are moving even closer toward electronic health records and integrated electronic prescribing will help expedite the communication between physicians, facilities and pharmacies to increase accuracy and decrease errors."

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services awarded a $1 million grant to Achieve in January for an e-prescribing software pilot program. This additional grant supplements the pilot and allows the project team to investigate the capability of a fully electronic prior authorization process. If successful, the electronic prior authorization process will replace today's paper-based system by sending an authorization request to a payer for approval or denial. The electronic communication will save the pharmacy time by either faxing or calling the physician and the payer to identify a covered prescription.

"In long-term care, Medicare Part D is creating an extreme administrative burden," said Lisa Gables, executive director of the ASCP Foundation. "By helping to set standards for electronic prescribing, we can progressively alleviate the encumbrance felt by long-term care and pharmacy staff."

The ASCP Foundation will establish an advisory board comprised of nationally recognized experts to review the approach and progress of the prior authorization project. In addition, the pilot project team will include the findings of the electronic prescribing standards and prior authorization study in its final report to CMS later this year.

Michael Bordelon, vice president of research and development for Achieve and the principle investigator for the electronic prescribing study, will lead the joint Achieve and RxHub (www.rxhub.net) implementation of the technology portion of the prior authorization project.

Achieve developed Achieve Matrix to help improve workflow and communications in an easy to use, fully integrated application. Its integrated development promotes the use of electronic health records, enterprise reporting and mobile resident charting technologies. Achieve Matrix was designed to support a corporate environment with multiple facilities, but is optimal for single facilities, as well. Achieve Matrix automates the clinical workflow process and provides highly evolved traditional functionality, such as:

-- one-button MDS transmission;

-- electronic billing for Medicaid, Medicare and third parties;

-- automated flow sheets;

-- care plan templates;

-- assessments with MDS integration;

-- events with best practice protocols; and

-- Computerized Physicians Order Entry with integration to providers.

About Achieve Healthcare Technologies

Achieve Healthcare Technologies (www.achievehealthcare.com) provides software systems and services to approximately 2,800 long-term care facilities nationwide. Its flagship product, Achieve Matrix is a fully integrated, Web-based clinical and financial software that helps remedy long-term care challenges through highly evolved traditional functionality, such as one-button MDS transmission, electronic billing, automated flow sheets and care plan templates. In addition, Achieve Matrix offers features, such as electronic health records capabilities, mobile resident charting technology and corporate reports and dashboards. In an effort to streamline communications between caregivers, physicians and pharmacies, Achieve is piloting an e-prescribing functionality with several long-term care organizations. Achieve also formed LTC Technology Services - a division of Achieve that aims to complement a facility's current technology infrastructure.

American Society of Consultant Pharmacists Foundation

The American Society of Consultant Pharmacists Foundation is the research and education affiliate of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists. Its mission is to improve the health and well-being of older persons through appropriate, effective, and safe medication use. The ASCP Foundation provides leadership, innovation, and expertise in medicines and aging to seniors and those who care for them. The unique focus of the ASCP Foundation is the development, integration, and application of knowledge regarding medication use in the senior population and the practice of senior care pharmacy to optimize health care outcomes. Visit the ASCP Foundation's website at www.ascpfoundation.org.

Source: Business Wire

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