E222 Announcement Press Release
Contact: Amy Langan, Director of Marketing, 847/457-2327
Email: info@pharmedium.com
PHARMEDIUM ANNOUNCES ELECTRONIC 222 ORDERING INITIATIVE
FIRST AMONG PHARMACY COMPOUNDERS; ENABLES CONVENIENT, SECURE, VIRTUALLY REAL-TIME ORDERING OF CLASS II CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES
LAS VEGAS, NV (December 3, 2007) – PharMEDium Services, LLC, the leading provider of outsourced hospital compounded sterile preparations, announced a first-in-the-industry electronic 222 controlled substance ordering system for its entire line of Schedule II Controlled Substances. The initiative will be launched in beta-site form during the month of December, said David Jonas, PharMEDium Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
The company announced the initiative at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ Midyear Clinical Meeting here.
The company’s investment in e-222 is consistent with its strong commitment to patient safety, quality, and superior customer service, and aligns with moves by the U.S Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and drug/pharmacy industry leaders to use e-commerce to expedite ordering and reduce errors and rework, Jonas said.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Office of Diversion Control (ODC) requires a form 222 for all orders of Schedule II Controlled Substances. Until 2005, these orders were processed only via paper forms, which take about 20 minutes to complete. DEA processes about 5.5 million 222 forms yearly, but the drug industry, notably drug distributors, has rapidly upped electronic orders since the agency’s Controlled Substances Ordering System (CSOS) was launched in August 2005. Through July 2007, DEA had processed more than three million electronic CSOS orders since the system went into place, with the typical transaction lasting less than 20 seconds, according to the ODC. DEA estimates that the average electronic 222 form costs $6 to process, as opposed to $39 for a paper form.
“The compounding industry has an important role in enhancing quality and improving the healthcare system as a whole, and this initiative will contribute strongly to that effort,” said PharMEDium President Rich Kruzynski, R.Ph. “We look forward to making a significant contribution, and to leading our industry down the path of electronic 222 ordering.”
About PharMEDium Services, LLC
For more than 15 years, PharMEDium has been the leading provider of outsourced compounding services. In that time, PharMEDium has grown into a nationwide network of state licensed and federally registered compounding centers providing trusted solutions to more than 1,800 hospitals throughout the United States. Managed by licensed pharmacists and staffed by certified technicians, the company complies with all applicable state laws and FDA regulations, including USP Chapter <797>, as well as DEA and cGMP Requirements.
