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NCPDP Announces Pilot Launch of its National Facilitator Model to Strengthen Pandemic and Epidemic Preparedness & Response and Support Public Health Surveillance

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (PRWEB)

NCPDP announced today the pilot launch of its National Facilitator Model which can be used to provide real-time information on prescription, testing, immunization, and related data to pharmacies, prescribers and government agencies to aid in pandemic and epidemic response, proactive intervention and public health surveillance. The National Facilitator Model uses NCPDP standards widely used throughout the industry to ensure interoperability and real-time access to data nationwide and within providers’ existing workflows. In Phase 1 of the project, pharmacists will access, monitor and report COVID-19 vaccination series information to validate key capabilities of the model: (1) workflow-enabled efficiencies; (2) interoperability of data aggregated across different sites and state lines; and (3) real-time data access and update capabilities.

Organizations participating in the pilot include: STChealth as principle researchers and National Facilitator Registry with expertise in developing national vaccine registry standards, technology and intelligence; community pharmacists from Osborn Drugs, Discount Drug Mart and Sam’s HealthMart; file transfer services from QS1/Redsail and Change Healthcare; switch service file transfer by RelayHealth/CoverMyMeds; and patient record data integrity by Experian Health, using the Universal Patient Identifier (UPI), powered by Experian Health UIM and NCPDP Standards™ to assure that vaccination information is tied to the right individual.

“The COVID-19 pandemic and opioid epidemic exposed, among other things, gaps in care which were filled thanks to pharmacists, and challenges with the current public health infrastructure,” explained Lee Ann Stember, President & CEO of NCPDP. “And while there has been strong support for modernizing our public health infrastructure and eliminating data silos, pharmacists and other providers still lack access to comprehensive, real-time information from across the healthcare ecosystem at the point of care to help inform clinical decision making. The NCPDP National Facilitator Model aims to make that possible using the same interoperable industry standards that support pharmacists’ instant access to eligibility, pharmacy claim billing, prior authorization, and for prescribers to instantly transmit, change and discontinue prescriptions today. This pilot is vital; we simply cannot wait for the next epidemic to take action.”

Funding for the pilot project is provided by an NCPDP Foundation grant of $150,000 awarded to STChealth. The NCPDP Foundation grant is funded by the Lee Ann Stember Endowment; Founders Gift Donors FDB (First Databank) and GoodRx; and its general fund. Both STChealth and Experian Health have provided in-kind support and reduced fees to support the pilot.

Stember added, “I am personally and professionally invested in supporting the pilot of the National Facilitator Model. It has been available to deploy for nine years to help combat the opioid epidemic and provide prescribers and pharmacists with alerts of potential misuse or abuse before an opioid is even prescribed. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted application of the model to address all public health crises, beyond the opioid epidemic. There has been great support for the model amongst congressional leaders, industry associations and others across the healthcare industry. The private sector must move it forward and make it operational for widespread adoption and use for pandemic and epidemic response and public health surveillance.”

Michael Popovich, CEO of STChealth said simply, “It’s about time. Few have the opportunity to be in the right place at the right time to take on new health information challenges that will benefit this and future generations. STChealth is very grateful to play a small part in this initiative and for the leadership and vision at NCPDP and the participating project partners, all willing to take a risk and a step forward to bring improved health care to individuals.”

FDB President Bob Katter, who serves as patient safety chair for the NCPDP Foundation’s new National Advisory Council, said, “FDB is pleased to join NCPDP to help extend adoption of its National Facilitator Model. Managing the health of individuals and populations proactively, especially during a public health emergency, requires that clinicians and responding agencies have ready access to and the ability to share comprehensive, flexible, and intuitive medication data. Further, patient-specific health and medication data help identify at-risk patients and inform actionable next steps. The National Facilitator Model is a natural extension of our decades-long partnership with NCPDP through which we deliver trusted drug knowledge and interoperability capabilities to support healthcare professionals in carrying out their critical workflows.”

“GoodRx is a proud supporter of the NCPDP Foundation and the launch of Phase I of the National Facilitator Model. We believe it will bring the role of the pharmacist to the forefront for population health management and solidify their place in our communities – providing needed access to care,” said Frannie McGowan, CEO of Scriptcycle (a wholly owned subsidiary of GoodRx), and the NCPDP Foundation’s National Advisory Council Chair for Patient Access to Care.

About NCPDP

Founded in 1977, NCPDP is a not-for-profit, ANSI-accredited, Standards Development Organization with more than 1,500 members representing virtually every sector of the pharmacy services industry. Our diverse membership provides leadership and healthcare business solutions through education and standards, created using the consensus building process. NCPDP has been named in federal legislation, including HIPAA, MMA, and HITECH. NCPDP members have created standards such as the Telecommunication Standard and Batch Standard, the SCRIPT Standard for ePrescribing, the Manufacturers Rebate Standard and more to improve communication within the pharmacy industry. Our data products include dataQ®, a robust database of information on more than 80,000 pharmacies, resQ™, an industry pharmacy credentialing resource, and HCIdea®, an innovative prescriber database that provides continually updated information on more than 2.5 million prescribers. NCPDP’s RxReconn® is a legislative tracking product for real-time monitoring of pharmacy-related state and national legislative and regulatory activity. For more information about NCPDP Standards, Data Services, Products, Educational Programs and Work Group meetings, go online at http://www.ncpdp.org or call 480.477.1000.

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