FDB’s OptimiseRx achieves savings of £300 million for the NHS

FDB (First Databank) announced its medicines optimisation solution, OptimiseRx, has now achieved direct prescribing budget savings of £300 million for NHS organisations across the UK.

Now covering a population of more than 44 million patients, OptimiseRx enables prescribers to switch individual patients onto more clinically appropriate and less expensive medicines and has grown savings from £100 million to £300 million in just four years.

In use in more than 4,500 GP practices across the UK, OptimiseRx messages deliver uniquely patient-specific prescribing information when the clinical information in the patient record indicates that a prescription may not be in line with national or local best practice guidance.

Messages can also be used to discourage overprescribing or to offer clinically appropriate alternatives with less side effects or risk of harm.

Oliver Clift, head of account management, delivery and implementation at FDB, said: “It’s great to be delivering such a patient-centric solution, which is providing impressive savings for the NHS. To realise these savings at a time when the NHS needs more support than ever makes our team hugely proud.

“We offer a fully managed service, with highly experienced pharmacist support from the get-go. Our customers welcome this level of service as they often face challenges for their time. This is reflected in a high level of satisfaction with a current net promoter score of +70.

“Our ability to support the NHS in a rapidly changing environment is very important to us and we want to ensure we deliver what they need when they need it and continue to support effective, safe and efficient prescribing.”

Developed by FDB and its team of clinicians, knowledge specialists, and technology experts, OptimiseRx launched in 2014.

Alongside direct cost savings for the NHS, use of the solution has been shown to provide a range of wider clinical and financial benefits to the NHS and patients, including reduced hospital admissions, via an independent Health Economic Analysis*.

Darren Nichols, managing director at FDB, said: “We announce this milestone as we approach a decade since we first launched OptimiseRx in what was a very different landscape, and now more than ever to be able to save the NHS money and enhance outcomes for patients is a win-win.”

*A Health Economic Analysis by Kent Surrey Sussex Academic Health Science Network (KSS AHSN) examined the wider clinical and financial benefits of OptimiseRx on a small subset of messages.  The analysis showed there were substantial clinical benefits and financial impact for organisations using OptimiseRx.