University of Maryland School of Dentistry and DrFirst Team Up to Combat Opioid Abuse Using Innovative e-Prescribing and Communications Technology

Collaboration introduces school’s dental students, clinicians and alumni to the first mobile app with PDMP query compliance built into the e-prescribing workflow.

ROCKVILLE, MD – March 16, 2018 – The University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD) has joined with DrFirst, the leading independent provider of e-prescribing and medication management systems in the U.S., to fight the opioid crisis that is afflicting Maryland and the country. The school’s adoption of DrFirst’s mobility suite, including iPrescribe^SM and Backline®, puts academia at the forefront of the fight against opioid addiction by providing tools and education for future oral health practitioners and UMSOD alumni to access more accurate patient medication history and opioid prescribing data.

“DrFirst is committed to helping Maryland overcome its opioid crisis, especially its opioid death rate, which is growing faster than the national average,” said G. Cameron Deemer, president of DrFirst. “We welcome our relationship with the University of Maryland School of Dentistry and are excited by its commitment to lead the charge to enable informed prescribing among the Maryland dental community, to prepare them to successfully meet the PDMP mandate, and to drive deeper collaboration within the dental community.”

The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) mandate, effective July 1, 2018, requires healthcare providers to check medication history via the online PDMP registry before prescribing opioids. Maryland joins 40 other states in requiring PDMP checks as part of the prescribing process to ensure the safe and appropriate use of opioids.

Preventing the oversupply of opioids without harming the patient is a critical balance that dentists must strike. An article in the Journal of the American Dental Association states that about 31 percent of opioids are prescribed after molar extractions for patients 10 to 19 years of age. Studies show that these patients are at greater risk to misuse opioids when they get older. 

With iPrescribe and Backline, practitioners have accurate medication history at their fingertips, as well as access to their peers for consultation to support patient safety appropriately. Gaining this knowledge immediately improves dentists’ ability to make the most informed decisions around patient safety and opioid prescribing efficacy.

“Implementing DrFirst’s innovative e-prescribing software technology, which enables seamless access to Maryland’s mandatory Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, helps us take a leading role in improving patient care and reducing prescription drug abuse,” said Dr. Mark A. Reynolds, dean of the University of Maryland School of Dentistry and a periodontist at the school’s clinics in Baltimore. “We are preparing the next generation of oral health practitioners to integrate prescription drug monitoring into the clinical setting to better inform their prescribing practices. As Maryland’s largest oral health care provider, we are transforming how we care for our patients by establishing best practices for large, multi-disciplinary practices in dentistry.”

Together, DrFirst’s tools improve visibility into patient opioid use history, encourage compliance with Maryland’s PDMP check requirements, identify all medication interactions, monitor patient fill history, enable consultation with peers and staff, and effectively engage patients before and after office visits.

For more information on DrFirst’s best-in-class intelligent medication management solutions, including medication history, secure collaboration, mobile medication management, prescription drug price transparency, and patient engagement solutions, visit www.drfirst.com.

About DrFirst
DrFirst, the nation’s leading provider of e-prescribing and medication management solutions, enables stakeholders across the healthcare industry to use comprehensive real-time data and connectivity intelligently to increase their patient safety ratings, efficiency and profitability. Today, more than 170,000 healthcare professionals and more than 60% of electronic health record (EHR) vendors depend on DrFirst’s innovative software solutions to improve clinical workflows, expedite secure collaboration across a patient’s care team and drive better health outcomes. The company’s integrated technologies include its award-winning electronic prescribing platform, the most comprehensive medication history available, clinically specialized secure messaging, as well as patient medication adherence monitoring and benefits checking. In addition, DrFirst was the first to offer e-prescribing for controlled substances (EPCS) and is considered the industry standard for providers nationwide. For more information, please visit www.drfirst.com or connect with us @DrFirst.

DrFirst Media Contact:
Jenna Warner
Amendola Communications
480-664-8412 x 19
JWarner@ACMarketingPR.com