Download PDR Network (Health Care Notification Network)

PATIENT SAFETY/RISK MANAGEMENT RESOURCES
PDR Network (Health Care Notification Network)
The PDR Network combines the Health Care Notification Network (HCNN) and the Physicians’ Desk
Reference (PDR) to provide a drug information service that includes FDA-required drug and product
safety Alerts, FDA-approved labeling, product recalls, and the new FDA-required Risk Evaluation and
Mitigation Strategies (REMS) programs.
The PDR is the leading provider of print and online pharmaceutical information to physicians, and the HCNN is the only
FDA-compliant network that electronically delivers specialtyspecific product safety notices. The prompt delivery of important medication-related and medical device–related patient
safety information reduces physician liability and enhances
patient safety.
The HCNN is a service provided by the PDR Network. The
network’s privacy policies and data use are governed by the
iHealth Alliance, an advisory board chaired by former AMA
president Nancy Dickey, MD, with representatives from the
AMA, the American Cancer Society, the FDA, malpractice
carriers (The Doctors Company), medical schools, and others.
The iHealth Alliance has worked with the FDA, manufacturers,
and medical societies to create a network for delivering patient
safety notifications to providers online—fulfilling FDA regulations and making delivery both timely and efficient. Nearly
300,000 physicians and health care providers currently participate. Key aspects of the HCNN include the following:
1. It is free to physicians. The funding for the HCNN comes
from user fees paid by manufacturers.
2. E-mail addresses are used only for patient safety notifications,
not for marketing purposes. No lists are sold to or used by
third parties.
3. Physicians will receive the notices days to weeks ahead of current paper/U.S. mail–based notifications.
4. Physicians can identify additional e-mail recipients to receive
these notices, i.e., office staff.
5. Providers can opt out of the HCNN at any time.
Physicians not enrolled in the HCNN or who enroll but don’t
open their e-mail notifications will be notified via standard
mail. Practices can forward notifications via e-mail to their
patients or post them on their Web sites.
To ensure that you continue to receive specialty-specific
drug safety Alerts from the HCNN, please confirm or update
your current contact information on the verification form
that accompanies your 2010 PDR. If you would like to sign up
for the HCNN service, please contact the PDR Network at
(800) 232-7379 or [email protected].
The Doctors Company regards the PDR Network (Health
Care Notification Network) as an important risk management
initiative. The information listed on updated full product labels
is the standard against which physicians are held in professional liability actions—and the PDR is routinely cited as the
source of this label information.
By David B. Troxel, MD, Medical Director, Board of Governors.
Founded by doctors for doctors in 1976 to advance, protect, and reward the practice of good medicine, The Doctors Company is the nation’s largest insurer of physician
and surgeon medical liability. For more information on our innovative patient safety products and services, please call (800) 421-2368, extension 1243, or visit us at
www.thedoctors.com/patientsafety.
The guidelines suggested here are not rules, do not constitute legal advice, and do not ensure a successful outcome. The ultimate decision regarding the appropriateness of any treatment must
be made by each health care provider in light of all circumstances prevailing in the individual situation and in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction in which the care is rendered.
©2009 J7686 11/09