MOORESTOWN, N.J., Feb. 25, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tabula Rasa HealthCare, Inc. (TRHC) (NASDAQ: TRHC), a healthcare technology company advancing the field of medication safety, today announced that TRHC’s Chief Scientific Officer and CEO of TRHC’s Scientific Precision Pharmacotherapy Research & Development Institute, Jacques Turgeon, BPharm, PhD, will present at the National University of Singapore’s “Healthcare in the Era of Big Data and AI” workshop on Thursday, February 28, 2019.
Dr. Turgeon will detail how TRHC’s clinical decision support system harnesses big data and science, including evidence-based clinical data, patient-specific data and pharmacogenetics, to rapidly assess and prevent medication risks. This approach has been used to establish the risk of medication-related adverse effects – and their association with medical expenditures – in more than 1.5 million patients.
According to the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), medication-related adverse effects are the fourth leading cause of deaths annually and are responsible for an overwhelming number of preventable hospitalizations and medical visits. But polypharmacy – or the concurrent use of multiple medications – is a worldwide problem. Data from a Singapore hospital in 2013 found that at least half of all discharged patients went home with five or more chronic medications, putting them at increased risk for adverse drug events.
“We have found that morbidity and mortality related to adverse drug events is a problem in the U.S. and abroad,” said Dr. Turgeon. “I am honored to have the opportunity to share with my colleagues in Singapore the methods that have been developed over 20 years of scientific research. Our approach uses pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and, when available, pharmacogenomic data within TRHC’s proprietary risk stratification engine and risk score algorithm. The medication risk visualization that we have developed enables action to be taken for immediate risk reduction, which is evident in the outcomes data.
“Pharmacists are the primary users of our tools, in collaboration with physicians,” he continued, “and are able to modify the medication profile to reduce risk, most often by changing time of day, or by suggesting medication alternatives. We have demonstrated outcomes including reductions in hospitalization, emergency department visits and medical costs. We hope to educate potential users in Singapore to empower them to see similar results in their patient population.”
Dr. Turgeon is internationally recognized for his excellence in research and pharmacy education. As CEO of TRHC’s new Research & Development Institute, Dr. Turgeon’s role is to continue to enhance TRHC’s Medication Risk Mitigation tools along with the development of new products to optimize medication regimens, improve patient outcomes, lower healthcare costs, and manage risk. His research using patient data, has found that those with a Medication Risk Score of 15 or higher, have twice the medical costs than those with lower risk scores.
About Tabula Rasa HealthCare
TRHC (NASDAQ:TRHC) is a leader in providing patient-specific, data-driven technology and solutions that enable healthcare organizations to optimize medication regimens to improve patient outcomes, reduce hospitalizations, lower healthcare costs and manage risk. TRHC provides solutions for a range of payers, providers and other healthcare organizations. For more information, visit TRHC.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements that we believe to be reasonable as of today’s date. Such statements are identified by use of the words “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “predicts,” “projects,” “should,” and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s expectations and assumptions as of the date of this press release. Actual results might differ materially from those explicit or implicit in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: the need to innovate and provide useful products and services; risks related to changing healthcare and other applicable regulations; increasing consolidation in the healthcare industry; managing our growth effectively; our ability to adequately protect our intellectual property; and the other risk factors set forth from time to time in our filings with the SEC, including those factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on March 14, 2018, and in subsequent reports filed with or furnished to the SEC, copies of which are available free of charge within the Investor Relations section of the TRHC website http://ir.trhc.com or upon request from our Investor Relations Department. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it was made. TRHC assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law, to reflect events or circumstances occurring after today’s date.
| Media Contact Amanda Hundt ahundt@we-worldwide.com T: (415) 547-7099 | Investors Bob East or Asher Dewhurst Westwicke Partners tabularasa@westwicke.com T: (443) 213-0500 |
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