Hackensack Meridian Health is partnering with technological brand DrFirst to incorporate the use of A.I. to help with understanding patient medication better, the health system said.
This A.I. technology is used directly with the Epic electronic health record system. This means doctors and nurses can access patient medication histories and insurance information faster, saving them valuable time and allowing them to focus more on patient care.
Before the partnership, only 26% of prescription instructions, such as dose and frequency (known as sigs), were automatically mapped into medication history fields in the EHR, requiring clinicians to enter the remaining details manually. With clinical-grade AI from DrFirst, 86% of sigs were automatically mapped across a recent sample of 300,000 medications.
DrFirst CEO G. Cameron Deemer explains how this initiative will have immediate results.
“Too often, health systems treat innovation as a future project instead of a current priority,” Deemer said. “Hackensack Meridian Health is taking meaningful steps now — applying technology to reduce clinical burden and improve medication access in ways that directly benefit patients. Their example shows what’s possible when you focus on practical progress over big promises.”
The health system is using three software solutions from DrFirst:
Data optimization with clinical-grade AI: Provides the most comprehensive medication information available and eliminates the need for manual data entry in clinical workflows. This means patients have less chance of adverse drug events, clinicians have more complete data at the point of care, and pharmacists save time on reconciling patient medication lists.
Prescription price transparency: Gives providers access to real-time prescription benefit data from more major pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), including those that cover most of Hackensack Meridian’s patients. Better insight into cost and coverage before a prescription is sent to the pharmacy helps providers address financial barriers with patients to prevent medication abandonment and support better health outcomes.
Personalized patient messaging: Automated mobile messages include medication details, pharmacy information, educational resources, and cost-saving options — all delivered through a secure, app-free experience.
The partnership intends to do the following: By reducing inefficiencies in clinical workflows, it creates more personalized patient experiences and reduces administrative burdens that contribute to clinician burnout.
