TAMPA, FL – August 27, 2010 – Gold Standard/Elsevier, developer of drug databases and medication management solutions, announced today the availability of its new Alchemy State and Federal module, the first and only database to offer both state and federal controlled substance drug schedules.
The Alchemy State and Federal module will help providers comply with 41 state-mandated Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) and federal regulations, while also controlling increasingly widespread prescription drug abuse. Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions Involving Abuse of Pain Relievers: 1998-2008 , a July 2010 White House study, reported a 400 percent increase in substance abuse treatment admissions for prescription pain relievers between 1998 and 2008.
"Alchemy State and Federal delivers rapid, reliable answers for informed prescribing and dispensing and protects against illegal transmission of electronic prescriptions by identifying differences between federal and state Drug Enforcement Administration information," said Marianne Messer, President of Gold Standard. "Through this new module, the only one of its kind on the market today, we take another big step in supporting the many providers whose quest it is to reduce prescription medication misuse and alleviate clinical and financial risks to millions of patients."
Many pharmacy companies face difficulties in complying with their state PDMPs due to variances caused by conflicting state and federal rules. Some state PDMPs have even added drugs excluded from federal regulations. Alchemy State and Federal controlled substance drug schedule offers a solution by allowing pharmacists to identify and track the growing list of drugs unique to each state's list of reportable substances.
Alchemy State and Federal supplies a drug's state-specific legend status and DEA classification for those instances when state regulations are more restrictive than federal regulations. Drugs are identified by state, classification ID, National Drug Code (NDC), and start/end date. To ensure timeliness of database information, Gold Standard monitors materials such as the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy's Survey of Pharmacy Law and state board of pharmacy newsletters.
In addition to controlled substance drug schedules, the Alchemy State and Federal module provides data to support compliance with FDA guidelines for consumer medication information (CMI), including: MedGuide flags and associated MedGuides, Patient Package Insert (PPI) flags with mandatory or permissive indicators, Black Box flags with codified reasons, and REMs flags with codified descriptions that are unique to Alchemy.
"Using advanced technologies, Alchemy State and Federal incorporates emerging industry standards and delivers alerts on pending regulatory changes more rapidly and effectively than any other drug database on the market. We are continuously upgrading Alchemy by keeping our product development and customer service highly responsive to the needs of our clients, ensuring the most agile and innovative drug database and decision support resource," Messer said.
Learn more about Alchemy State and Federal by joining representatives from Gold Standard (booth #514) at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores' Pharmacy and Technology Conference (NACDS), Aug. 28-31, 2010, in San Diego, California.
For more information on how to stay compliant with state and federal drug regulations, contact Gold Standard at info@goldstandard.com or 1-800-375-0943.
About Gold Standard/Elsevier
Based in Tampa, FL, Gold Standard/Elsevier uses innovative technologies to provide a complete suite of drug information and decision support solutions. With a tenacious commitment to product quality, Gold Standard/Elsevier solutions empower healthcare organizations, professionals and consumers to meet the most pressing healthcare challenges, improve patient safety and ensure optimal outcomes. To learn more about Gold Standard/Elsevier, visit www.goldstandard.com.
About Elsevier
Elsevier is a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including the Lancet (www.thelancet.com) and Cell (www.cell.com), and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include ScienceDirect (www.sciencedirect.com), Scopus (www.scopus.com), Reaxys (www.reaxys.com), MD Consult (www.mdconsult.com) and Nursing Consult (www.nursingconsult.com), which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite (www.scival.com) and MEDai's Pinpoint Review (www.medai.com), which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.
A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier (www.elsevier.com) employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC (www.reedelsevier.com), a world-leading publisher and information provider. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).