Grant Results | Pharmacy Interoperability: A Comprehensive Assessment of the Current Landscape
This white paper reflects research gathered through industry stakeholder interviews on the current state of pharmacy interoperability. One central finding was the criticality of pharmacy representation in interoperability initiatives happening throughout the healthcare industry—making sure this sector’s unique needs and contributions are addressed. The study defines ten key factors impacting the future of pharmacy interoperability and proposes recommendations for the industry to consider. Read More.

Grant Results | Evaluating the NCPDP/HL7® FHIR® Specialty Medication Enrollment Implementation Guidance for Data Quality and Usefulness
This study analyzed four primary data sources, each of which utilized NCPDP/HL7® Specialty Medication Enrollment, for completeness, plausibility, concordance, and currency. The goal was to evaluate the frequency and quality of the data received by the specialty pharmacy. Results showed a high degree of completeness in the data received with areas for improvement noted to improve interoperability and use of Electronic Health Records. Recommendations include improvement of data quality through standardization of units, alerts on physiologically implausible values and outdated data, and omitting incomplete data. Read More.

Grant Results | Tracking Adoption of Pharmacists’ Clinical Recommendations & Utilizing NLP to Standardize Medication Directions and Automate Acceptance of Pharmacist Recommendations
This research study aimed to investigate prescriber actions to pharmacist recommendations, natural language processing (NLP) to automate acceptance of pharmacists’ recommendations and standardizing Sig medication directions. Researchers found that prescriber action on pharmacist recommendations was highest for ‘laboratory request for evaluation’ at 45.79%. Research also indicated an increased likelihood of action with increased duration of the relationship between the prescriber and the pharmacist. In connection with research on NLP, findings indicated gaps in data elements included within the Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN), finding areas for improved interoperability for NCPDP with their collaborative efforts with TEFCA and the emerging QHIN. Read More.

Grant Results | DTx Integration & Workflow Completed by the Digital Therapeutic Alliance
This research study aimed to determine how reimbursement pathways impact work streams and identify where standardization exists and where there are opportunities for new standards. The study identified two major payment pathways within DTx prescriptions: Medical Benefit and Pharmacy Benefit and was able to identify major pain points along the workflow and multiple NCPDP Standards in use including Telecom, SCRIPT, F&B, and RTPB. This grant supported one of the NCPDP Foundation’s pillars: Increasing Patient Access to Care. Read More.

We are pleased to share the findings of the Quandary Peak & MedStar Health Grant Researching RxChange Request & Response Messages
NCPDP’s SCRIPT Standard includes the RxChange Request and Response messages as distinct transactions to provide bi-directional communication between the prescriber and pharmacist. This research study aimed to identify workflow gaps to inform the creation of best practice recommendations for use of RxChange in bi-directional communications. The study found that RxChange transaction messages are promising to reduce administrative burden on both pharmacists and prescribers and has provided insight to NCPDP’s WG11, ePrescribing & Related Transactions and RxChange TG for future NCPDP guidance. This grant supported two of the NCPDP Foundation’s pillars: Expanding the Role & Value of the Pharmacist and Enhancing Patient Safety. Read More

NCPDP Foundation Provides Grant Funding for the Pilot Launch of NCPDP’s National Facilitator Model to Strengthen Pandemic and Epidemic Preparedness & Response and Support Public Health Surveillance
Funding for the pilot project is provided by an NCPDP Foundation grant of $150,000 awarded to STChealth. NCPDP’s National Facilitator Model uses industry standards and technology to enable pharmacies, prescribers, and government agencies to access real-time information on prescription, testing, immunization, and related data – across state lines - to support patient health interventions during public health crises. The model can also be used to effectively support public health surveillance. The research findings are now available. Read More.

NCPDP Foundation Awards a $74,000 Grant to the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health for RxFill: An Innovative Approach to Support Medication Adherence
The NCPDP Foundation Board of Trustees announced it awarded a $74,000 grant to the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health for RxFill. The NCPDP RxFill transaction provides notification about the status of a prescription or any healthcare-related event. RxFill is described as a novel health information technology (health IT) functionality that integrates patients’ medication fill data from community pharmacies into the prescribers’ electronic health record (EHR). This project seeks to demonstrate the value of RxFill—providing the right information, to the right person, at the right time— and support its adoption by health systems, clinics, prescribers, and community pharmacies. The research findings are now available. Read More.

NCPDP Foundation Awards $115,000 Grant to Point-of-Care Partners to Help Migrate NCPDP Telecommunication Standard to JSON Format
The NCPDP Foundation Board of Trustees announced it awarded a $115,000 grant to Point-of-Care Partners to support the migration of NCPDP’s Telecommunication Standard to a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) format, enhancing its extensibility and modernizing the real-time pharmacy claims standard. NCPDP’s Telecommunication Standard was first developed in 1988, ushering in a new and unprecedented era of real-time transactions in the pharmacy segment of healthcare. The Telecommunication Standard provides the standardized format to submit prescription drug claims, and includes transactions for eligibility verification, claim and service billing, predetermination of benefits, prior authorization, and information reporting. JSON is an open standard file format, and data interchange format, that uses human-readable text to store and transmit data objects consisting of attribute–value pairs and array data types. Read More

NCPDP Foundation Awards Grant to Point-of-Care Partners to Document Clinical and Patient Care Value in NCPDP’s Formulary & Benefit Standard & Added Value of Real-Time Prescription Benefit Standard
The NCPDP Foundation Board of Trustees has awarded a $77,000 grant to Point-of-Care Partners to research and document the value and cost savings of the newly enhanced NCPDP Formulary & Benefit Standard V53, as well as V3. The Standard, which was first developed for use in 2005, enables prescribers to view plan-specific prescription benefit information - including medications on formulary, alternative medications, coverage limitations such as age limits or step therapy rules, and the copay for one product option versus another - prior to prescribing a medication. Read More

University of Tennessee Research to Demonstrate Patient Benefit
Of Physician/Pharmacist Collaboration Using Pharmacist eCare Plan
In the 2020 funding cycle, the NCPDP Foundation awarded a $100,000 grant to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center for a pilot project to demonstrate the clinical value of integrating the NCPDP/HL7 Pharmacist eCare Plan (PeCP) in pharmacy and medical software systems. The Pharmacist eCare Plan is used to exchange information on medication-related health concerns and goals, as well as the pharmacist’s assessments, interventions, recommendations, referrals, and related clinical services. Pharmacists and physicians will use the PeCP to share information about medication therapy management care plans for patients whose vitals are monitored remotely by a telehealth provider during transitions in care. Clinical outcomes to be measured include hospital admissions and readmissions for this patient population. Read More

Foundation-funded Video Raises Awareness of NCPDP and Pharmacists
Helping to Fill Gaps in Patient Care During COVID-19
A 2020 Foundation grant funded the production of a public service video that shows how NCPDP is supporting pharmacist-led COVID-19 testing and vaccine administration. The intent of the video is to raise awareness among policymakers and industry leaders of how NCPDP is working with pharmacists to help fill gaps in patient care. Testing for COVID-19 and vaccine administration is just one, highly relatable example, and a jumping off point for a broader discussion of how NCPDP can help address pressing healthcare challenges. Watch Video

Johns Hopkins Medicine Research Shows Use of RTPB Standard
Leads to Patient Cost Savings on Medications
A Johns Hopkins Medicine research study shows that patients can save on medication costs -- and sometimes acquire medications in a more timely fashion -- when physicians and pharmacy industry technology partners implement NCPDP’s Real-time Prescription Benefit (RTPB) Standard. The study was funded by an NCPDP Foundation grant. Researchers found that prescribers chose multiple types of medication changes based on point-of-care estimates provided via the RTPB Standard, saving patients an average $21.40 and as much as $1,000 at time of dispensing. Findings suggest that widespread adoption of the RTPB Standard can help reduce abandonment of prescriptions and increase adherence to medication therapies – both of which are affected by medication cost and speed to therapy. Read More

University of Wisconsin Study Shows Underused ePrescribing Transaction
Can Prevent Unnecessary Opioid Dispensing
An NCPDP Foundation-funded research study, conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy, shows that use of NCPDP’s CancelRx transaction decreases the number of controlled substances, including opioids, that are dispensed to patients when their physicians intend those prescriptions to be discontinued. This is an important finding in light of the slow adoption of the CancelRx transaction. The transaction is included in NCPDP’s SCRIPT ePrescribing Standard. While SCRIPT is the industry standard for ePrescribing, its CancelRx transaction is not widely used. The UW study indicates that widespread use of CancelRx would be effective in reducing the number of unnecessary opioid prescriptions available to patients, thereby increasing medication safety and potentially decreasing opioid misuse and addiction with its attendant healthcare costs. Read More

Johns Hopkins Medicine Study Shows CancelRx Transaction Can Protect
Patients from Receiving Millions of Unintended Prescriptions
A Johns Hopkins Medicine research study, funded by several NCPDP Foundation grants, shows that use of NCPDP’s CancelRx ePrescribing transaction may prevent millions of prescriptions from getting into the hands of patients after their doctors’ decisions to cancel those prescriptions. Researchers found that prior to implementing CancelRx, 3.8% of prescriptions cancelled by prescribers still got into the hands of patients. This equates to more than 10 million prescriptions annually. The funding supports industry adoption of CancelRx to protect patients from potential adverse events caused by taking medications that their physicians do not want them to take. Read More