PHILADELPHIA – The two-day PharmEHR Summit opens today, bringing together for the first time senior executives from pharmaceutical and device manufacturers, electronic health records (EHR) vendors and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to discuss the impact of rapid EHR adoption by U.S. physicians on drug regulatory and marketing issues. Most major pharmaceutical and EHR firms are participating, including Allscripts – the nation’s largest EHR vendor.
 
Janet Woodcock, M.D., Director, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, FDA, is providing the opening keynote for the Summit which will focus on the FDA’s perspectives and goals related to EHRs and improving drug safety and efficacy. Glen Tullman, CEO of Allscripts, will be the evening’s featured dinner speaker discussing EHR functionality and adoption now and over the next two years.
 
 “EHR adoption is increasing rapidly, driven by expanding federal, health plan and market financial incentives as well as penalties for providers who do not adopt EHRs,” explained Edward Fotsch, M.D., CEO of PDR Network. “EHRs are in the middle of physician workflow and have a profound impact on pharmaceutical regulatory and marketing issues, from automated drug Alerts to convenient access to patient financial assistance programs for drugs.” A recently published study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that over half of U.S. physicians now use some type of EHR system.
 
Tomorrow’s keynote address will feature Jeffrey E. Shuren, M.D., J.D., Director,Center for Devices and Radiological Health, FDA, and will focus on EHRs and medical devices. Other topics to be covered during the PharmEHRSummit include:
·        EHRs and Direct Online Patient Connectivity - Including Medication Adherence
·        EHRs in Clinical Trials and R&D
·        EHR Impact on Pharmaceutical Marketing and Product Support
·        EHRs and Adverse Drug Event Reporting
·        EHR Impact on Product Safety & Liability for Physicians and Manufacturers
·        EHRs, Pharmacists and ePrescribing
 
The PharmEHR Summit is being hosted by PDR Network, whose regulatory and product support services link pharmaceutical and device manufacturers to EHRs and physicians, and to other healthcare providers. Presentations from the Summit will be available via PDR Network.
 
For more information about the PharmEHR Summit, please visit www.PDRNetwork.com.