Partners Healthcare has now become the first healthcare network to have the tool immediately available to doctors at the point-of-care in Massachusetts.

Partners HealthCare, the Boston-based non-profit hospital and physicians network, has reportedly declared that it has fully-integrated with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Prescription Awareness Tool (MassPAT) in its EHR (electronic health record) system.

Reportedly, Partners Healthcare has now become the first healthcare network to have the tool immediately available to doctors at the point-of-care in Massachusetts.

Commissioner of Public Health, Massachusetts, Monica Bharel, MD, MPH, was reportedly quoted saying that a vital aspect of preventing over-prescription of opioids has ensured providers have an accurate detail of prescription history of patients. MassPAT is a crucial aspect of the Commonwealth’s strategy to connect and support healthcare providers and having the Partners HealthCare system focused and fully integrated on ensuring that clinicians get access to the tool which would be a significant advancement in the collective efforts of both the firms to prevent the opioid epidemic, Bharel further added.

According to a press release by Partners HealthCare, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker had inked the historic legislation which created MassPAT in the year 2016. The state was one of the firsts in the country to instruct that all prescribers verify the prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) before prescribing Schedule III or II substances and enforce a limit of seven days on first-time opioids prescriptions to patients.

Chief Quality and Safety Officer at Partners HealthCare, Thomas Sequist, MD, MPH, reportedly commented that the firm is equipping its providers with more strong point-of-care access to the prescription drug monitoring program of the state to support responsible and safe treatment of pain and better manage substance abuse disorder. Providers of Partners HealthCare are better informed about their patient’s medication use by examining the prescription information of patients in MassPAT and can prevent duplication of drug therapies and can further coordinate care by interacting with other prescribers to enhance clinical outcomes, Sequist further added.