Rite Aid Selects Gold Standard Drug Database State and Federal Module

TAMPA, Florida, August 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Elsevier's Gold Standard module will help Rite Aid pharmacies track legislation changes and streamline information sharing

Elsevier's Gold Standard, a leading drug information provider, announced today that Rite Aid Corporation, one of the nation's leading drug store chains, has selected the Gold Standard Drug Database State and Federal module to monitor legislative updates made to prescription medications.

The integration of the Gold Standard Drug Database State and Federal module allows Rite Aid to streamline and automate the process of tracking changing state and federal regulations for Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and legend status, as well as medication-related guidelines. This integration allows Rite Aid to effectively communicate such modifications to its more than 4,700 pharmacies in 31 states and the District of Columbia.

"The Gold Standard Drug Database State and Federal file will enhance our monitoring capabilities of vital prescription drug legislations," said Rite Aid Vice President of Pharmacy Operations Scott Jacobson, R.Ph. "Integration of the database will improve our ability to quickly address those changes across our vast network of pharmacies."

The Gold Standard Drug Database State and Federal module offers a comprehensive, automated means of communicating critical legislative changes. The module provides up-to-date, accurate data that is easily accessible to clinicians who need to make informed decisions that abide by frequently changing state and federal requirements.  

The Gold Standard Drug Database State and Federal module includes:

• Guidance for State and Federal Controlled Substance Regulations: Gold Standard Drug Database is the first and only database to offer a State and Federal Controlled Substance Drug Schedule; the module supplies data for states whose controlled substances classification and legend status are more restrictive than federal requirements.
• Guidance for FDA Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) Requirements: The FDA has significantly increased the number of drug products that must be dispensed with a MedGuide, now encompassing millions of prescriptions. The database provides the solution to managing MedGuides, including indicator flags, and complete content for all publicly available MedGuides and instances where patient package inserts (PPIs) are recommended or required by the FDA.
• Black Box Warning Identifier: The module identifies drug products where the product labeling includes a "black box" warning, including the codified reason for the warning. Clinicians are also able to confirm post-market drug safety information via Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) data, including REMS indicators with codified descriptions unique to Gold Standard Drug Database.

"Our innovative clinical decision support solutions enable us to incorporate emerging industry policies and standards more rapidly and effectively than other drug information providers," said Elsevier's Gold Standard President Marianne Messer. "We look forward to providing Rite Aid with the critical information needed to help speed-up and streamline their daily processes."

For more information about Gold Standard, please visit http://www.goldstandard.com.

Elsevier's Gold Standard

Based in Tampa, FL, Elsevier's Gold Standard uses innovative technologies to provide a complete suite of drug information and decision support solutions. With a tenacious commitment to product quality, Elsevier's Gold Standard solutions empower healthcare organizations, professionals and consumers to meet the most pressing healthcare challenges, improve patient safety and ensure optimal outcomes. To learn more about Gold Standard, visit http://www.goldstandard.com.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include ScienceDirect, Scopus, Reaxys, ClinicalKey and Mosby's Nursing Suite, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite and MEDai's Pinpoint Review, which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world-leading publisher and information provider, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

Media contact
Christopher Capot
Director, Corporate Relations
Elsevier
+1-212-633-3164
c.capot@elsevier.com