SAN MATEO, Calif.--(Business Wire)-- 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.
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Epocrates, Inc.
Erica Sniad Morgenstern, 650-227-6907
pr@epocrates.com