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National Drug Data File Plus (NDDF Plus)

The enormous complexity of practicing 21st century medicine—therapeutic discovery, changing treatment protocols and technology, regulatory and legal pressures—dictate that physician practice management systems move beyond billing and scheduling to include the clinical decision-support tools currently available. Those tools can help practices reduce medical errors, improve efficiency, and contain costs.

And because so many clinical decisions involve drug therapy, any successful practice management system must incorporate a comprehensive and up-to-date drug database. First DataBank's National Drug Data File Plus (NDDF Plus) is the most comprehensive and up-to-date in the industry. Our wide use among providers, pharmacists, and payers is a clear indication of the trust we've earned in our 30 years as a pioneering industry leader.

Industry and government reports have long pointed to paper records as a major contributing factor in medication errors, which often lead to adverse drug events. Enhanced patient safety, therefore, relies on your practice management system incorporating electronic medical records (EMRs) containing all pertinent patient information, and fast, reliable links to clinical data—including medication information. We've built NDDF Plus from the ground up to provide clear, trustworthy and comprehensive drug information tailored to physician practice workflows.

For example, our Multiple Access Points (MAPs) are a robust drug vocabulary that employs recognized best practices and a flexible range of drug identifiers so you can zero in on drug information quickly and accurately. The built-in relationships between terms facilitate improved communication, thus smoothing the movement from prescription to claim to pharmacy dispensing.

In addition, many of our identifiers are cross-referenced to RxNorm within the National Library of Medicine's Unified Medical Language System (UMLS), and our data complies with JCAHO and ISMP guidelines for addressing errors that stem from confusing or ambiguous abbreviations, acronyms and symbols.

We're also known throughout the industry for clearly written patient education materials that help improve therapeutic compliance and encourage patients' knowledge about their care.

Another First DataBank advantage is that our drug databases are a consistent element throughout the healthcare continuum—from your practice to retail pharmacies, pharmacy benefit managers, health plans, and employers. More than just a testament to our reliability and industry reputation, our broad presence facilitates connectivity and information exchange, key benefits as healthcare relies increasingly on electronic technology.

Consider the needs of many physician practices to order drugs for both outpatient and inpatient settings. First DataBank knowledge bases incorporate convenient, easy-to-use pick lists of common prescriptions, specific to the drug formulation and intended route of administration. They also enable electronic prescribing systems to filter prescriptions based on known patient information, such as medical condition.

We've also created the OrderView Med Knowledge Base—replete with physician-friendly navigation—to support medication ordering in the fewest possible steps while still linking to the appropriate product detail for pharmacy dispensing. And you can narrow pick lists based on patient-specific factors, such as age, weight, and organ function.

In addition, our clinical decision-support modules work with the practice management system's EMRs and electronic prescribing functionality to check for drug-drug, drug-allergy, drug-food and other drug interactions, using a range of techniques that reduce alert overload without compromising patient safety. We also offer an array of other dosing content options that can reduce dose-related medication errors.