First DataBank, a leading provider of drug databases that help drive patient safety, today announced the release of the company’s RxNorm Cross-Reference Module which enables medication vocabulary interoperability for healthcare IT applications such as those for e-prescribing, medication dispensing and EHR systems, by providing relationships between First DataBank drug identifiers to the National Library of Medicine (NLM) RxNorm vocabulary. RxNorm is the recommended U.S. national terminology standard for medications produced and maintained by the U.S. National Library of Medicine® (NLM®) in cooperation with proprietary drug terminology vendors.

The First DataBank RxNorm Cross-Reference Module is offered to currently licensed customers of the First DataBank National Drug Data File (NDDF) Plus™, one of the healthcare industry’s most widely used sources of up-to-date drug information. Drug vocabulary linking and translation is essential for healthcare IT systems using different drug databases to effectively communicate drug information across often disparate platforms and allows system developers to navigate to the RxNorm term types that best meet their business needs when creating applications.

The module also facilitates adherence to current regulatory requirements by enabling users to include the RxNorm code as part of Medicare Part D formulary submissions to CMS and to include the RxNorm identifier on a Continuity of Care Document (CCD) required to meet CCHIT certification criteria. In addition, the module facilitates the development of automated solutions for medication reconciliation designed to meet the Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goal for accreditation. Automated medication reconciliation solutions are often hindered by healthcare information systems that cannot communicate essential patient medication information across often disparate platforms.

“We are pleased to provide our customers with an additional data set to support medication vocabulary interoperability,” said Donald Nielsen, MD, president, First DataBank. "This new module will help to facilitate the digital transfer of information and improve healthcare delivery."

Because the First DataBank RxNorm Cross-Reference Module is intended to be used in conjunction with NDDF Plus, customers will enjoy the convenience of a single source of data delivery as the RxNorm file delivery is synchronized with regular NDDF Plus data updates. First DataBank offers the choice of weekly or monthly module updates that map NDDF identifiers to RxNorm terms, thereby eliminating the need to separately download the NLM UMLS file to get RxNorm updates.

About First DataBank
First DataBank, a subsidiary of Hearst Corporation, drives patient safety and healthcare quality by providing drug databases that are used within information systems that touch every aspect of healthcare. For more than 30 years, we have partnered with system developers to integrate and optimize our drug information to improve user workflow and enhance clinical decision making by those entrusted with treating patients at the point-of-need. For more information about First DataBank, call 800-633-3453 or visit www.firstdatabank.com.

Contacts:
First DataBank: Denise Apcar
Phone: 650-872-4514
Email: denise_apcar@firstdatabank.com