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Epocrates Celebrates 10 Years of
Innovation
Clinicians Consult Epocrates More Than 1 Billion Times,
Helping Prevent Millions of Adverse Drug Events Each Year
SAN MATEO, Calif.--(Business Wire)-- Oct 29, 2009 -- Epocrates,
Inc., a leading developer of mobile clinical decision support
software, today celebrated its 10 year anniversary. More than
900,000 medical professionals regularly use Epocrates on a
mobile device such as the iPhone, Palm or Blackberry, or via the
internet. In the past decade, medical professionals have looked
up drug interactions, dosing and formulary information more than
1.2 billion times with Epocrates, which translates into more
than 300,000 lookups a day.
"We founded the company ten years ago with a simple goal: to
improve the quality of patient care through the power of mobile
devices," said Jeff Tangney, president and co-founder of
Epocrates."This fundamental objective has led to years of
innovation on multiple platforms, adding decision support tools
and resources, supporting education at leading universities
across the U.S. and being when and where physicians need us
most."
A Record of Innovation
* Preventing medical errors and supporting patient care - More
than 60 percent of physicians credit Epocrates software with
helping them avoid one or more adverse drug events (ADEs) each
week, according to a 2009 survey. This translates into more than
150,000 ADEs prevented each week, ranging from a potentially
severe or life-threatening medical event to adverse reactions
such as nausea and dizziness. Over the years, Epocrates has
expanded its product offerings to further support clinicians`
point-of-care decisions. The company`s award-winning Epocrates
Essentials premium suite provides concise and relevant
information from diagnosis to treatment, including thousands of
evidence-based disease topics developed in collaboration with
the BMJ Group, publisher of the British Medical Journal. *
Keeping physicians informed - Over the years, Epocrates has
supported the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other
health organizations in keeping physicians informed of breaking
medical news and developments. Epocrates has delivered nearly 15
million DocAlert messages sourced by the FDA Medwatch division
to clinicians directly on their mobile device. The government
recognizes the extensive reach and speed of Epocrates, and seeks
assistance in providing alerts on critical topics such as H1N1
updates and time-sensitive drug recall announcements. * Saving
time and money - The convenience of having Epocrates software
loaded on a mobile device has been credited in providing
physicians with at least 20 extra minutes a day. Rather than
leaving the exam room to scour through textbooks, clinicians can
reach in their pocket to access this timely clinical information
within seconds, including health plan formulary lists. Epocrates
is currently working with more than 120 commercial and Medicaid
health insurance plan clients as well as hosting all Medicare
Part D plans, so clinicians can swiftly check for drug coverage,
identify lower cost alternatives and reduce pharmacy callbacks.
With electronic formulary hosting, Epocrates has facilitated
significant cost savings for the health system, and more
importantly for patients. * Driving device demand - Epocrates
has been attributed with building the mobile marketplace in
healthcare. Since the introduction of Epocrates` free drug
reference in 1999, it has been one of the most popular
professional applications for the Palm, Blackberry, Windows
Mobile and now iPhone devices. This is largely due to the
company`s innovation on these platforms, maximizing the power
and capabilities of each device to provide its subscribers with
the best possible user experience. Epocrates was the first
clinical decision support tool available for Apple`s iPhone
device and remains the most popular with more than 125,000 U.S.
physicians actively using it. The iPhone quickly became the
company`s fastest growing platform with advanced new features
and content, such as a pill identifier and full-color disease
image library.
As a testament to Epocrates` history of excellence, Aneesh
Chopra, U.S. chief technology officer stated in a recent speech,
"Many people say that doctors don't like technology, but I don't
know a doctor who doesn't use a product called Epocrates. That
gives me confidence that if we build better products, they'd use
them."
Other physicians agree:
"Epocrates is the single best innovation in bedside patient
care," said Dr. S. Leslie Tobias.
"I love Epocrates because it saves lives, plain and simple,"
said Dr. Ashish Sitapara.
* Building a loyal user base - Epocrates` initial growth was
driven by word-of-mouth referrals with 80 percent learning about
the software`s availability from a friend or colleague. As the
number two most recognized healthcare brand among physicians
(second to Microsoft), Epocrates continues to foster its brand
loyalty with high-quality products and a commitment to meeting
the needs of today`s clinicians. Today, Epocrates is used by
more than 250,000 practicing U.S. physicians and more than
450,000 other healthcare professionals, nearly half of which
have been using it for more than five years. As a point-of-care
reference, Epocrates is fully integrated into these clinicians`
workflow and reportedly called upon six or more times per day.
"With the healthcare industry changing rapidly, and greater
change on the horizon, it is important to focus on the
essentials - increasing time with patients and enhancing the
quality and safety of care delivered," said Rose Crane, chief
executive officer of Epocrates. "As the industry leader, we
helped define physicians` workflow with access to up-to-date and
clinically relevant information. We look forward to new
challenges and continuing to develop ways to increase
efficiencies in the delivery of information to doctors and
improve safety throughout the treatment continuum."
Physicians and other healthcare professionals interested in
celebrating the Epocrates 10 year anniversary are invited to
Epocrates` San Mateo headquarters on November 4 from 6:00 - 9:00
p.m. PST.
View the co-founders story and learn more about Epocrates
milestones through the years.
About Epocrates, Inc.
Epocrates is a leading provider of clinical information and
decision support tools to healthcare professionals. Epocrates
currently has more than 900,000 healthcare professionals,
including one in three U.S. physicians and 40 percent of medical
students, in its active network. The company`s
subscription-based services enable healthcare professionals to
make more informed medical decisions, reduce medical errors and
practice more efficiently. For more information about Epocrates,
please visit
www.epocrates.com/company.
All trademarks are properties of their respective owners.
Epocrates, Inc.
Erica Sniad Morgenstern
650-227-6907
pr @epocrates.com
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