Rite Aid cracks down on medication abuse

Rite Aid is applying advanced analytics to identify prescription drug customers at risk for addiction.

The drugstore retailer is deploying the Appriss Health NarxCare comprehensive analytics platform for opioid stewardship and substance use disorder into its clinical workflow across the U.S. So far, Rite Aid has effectively implemented NarxCare in 12 states, including all of its Pennsylvania locations.

NarxCare utilizes, analyzes and presents information from state prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMP) to enable pharmacists to more efficiently and effectively identify and manage patients at risk for controlled substance misuse and abuse. The platform equips pharmacists with advanced analytics, tools, technology, and insights that are presented and can be accessed directly within Rite Aid’s pharmacy management system. 

In addition, NarxCare provides machine learning- and artificial intelligence-based patient risk analysis in a visually interactive format to support pharmacists’ dispensing decisions and state law compliance. As a result, Rite Aid pharmacists will be better able to identify potential problems up-front, in real-time, when they consider a controlled substance dispensation. Pharmacists will also have support to better engage with customers and determine the best course of action for them, while ensuring all controlled substances are legally filled.

“NarxCare is another efficient and effective solution to help our pharmacists make responsible dispensing decisions, while mitigating possible controlled substance misuse or abuse,” said Jocelyn Konrad, executive VP, pharmacy and retail operations, Rite Aid. “The integration of NarxCare and PDMP information into our pharmacist’s workflow empowers them to focus more on building relationships with patients and improving health-and-wellness across the communities they serve.”

Rite Aid Corp. operates 2,464 stores in 18 states.