First DataBank

First Databank, Inc. (FDB), a subsidiary of Hearst Corporation, is the publisher of pharmaceutical information that is used within healthcare information systems serving hospitals, physician practices, other providers, payers, retail pharmacies, state health programs and others for the purpose of medication decision support and negotiating reimbursement rates paid to pharmacies and other providers.

First Databank describes itself as "the leading provider of context-relevant, integrated drug database products." The firm creates and maintains widely used drug database products, software for drug database integration, and drug reference products. The firm has partnered with other developers of drug information systems to make drug data useful for a wide range of drug delivery system users. The firm's software supports pharmacy dispensing, formulary management, drug pricing analysis, medical insurance claims processing computerized physician order entry (CPOE), electronic health records (EHR), electronic medical records (EMR), electronic prescribing (e-Prescribing) and electronic medication administration records (EMAR).

First Databank influences the incidence of medication errors and adverse events associated with prescription drugs that affect healthcare costs and the overall quality of patient care. As it transitions away from publishing drug price databases, First Databank is poised for entry into areas such as electronic prescribing and electronic health records.

FDB MedKnowledge (formerly National Drug Data File Plus)

First Databank's MedKnowledge provides prices, descriptions, and collateral clinical information on drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), plus commonly used over-the-counter drugs, herbal remedies, nutraceuticals and dietary supplements.

FDB OrderKnowledge (formerly OrderView Med Knowledge Base)

First Databank has developed a drug ordering knowledge base that enables physicians to quickly look up and order drugs, sometimes as easily as using just two mouse clicks. Drug orders are generated based on patient parameters such as age, weight, renal and hepatic impairment, thereby reducing lists of candidate drugs to a minimum. The system is expected to affect the number of adverse drug reactions and side effects at facilities that have adopted the electronic drug order entry system, such as Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School.

FDB AlertSpace

A web-based software tool that enables easy, institution-specific modification of medication alerts using FDB MedKnowledge clinical modules based on clinician input, localized clinical experience, and other available evidence. The tool allows users to edit or turn off individual alerts, track all alert customizations and create an audit record, and view FDB updates in comparison with the user's own modifications. Users can seamlessly load the results of their modifications directly into their medication decision support system for immediate use in the workflow. The approach follows the normal update process.

FDB MedsTracker

FDB MedsTracker is an electronic medication reconciliation solution that interfaces with a hospital’s primary healthcare information system vendor. The solution supports medication history, admission, transfer and discharge with safety checks at each step along with a complete audit trail. In August 2013, FDB announced that an affiliate of FDB acquired Design Clinicals, Inc., a healthcare information technology company dedicated to providing solutions for improving medication reconciliation and the delivery of patient care. Design Clinicals was based in Seattle, Washington, and began operations in 2005.

Litigation

A consumer coalition filed separate suits in a Boston, Massachusetts federal court against drug wholesaler McKesson Corporation and First Databank, accusing the companies of artificially inflating drug prices. The lawsuits say that McKesson and FDB conspired from 2002 through 2005 to set the list prices artificially high. The suit against First DataBank accused it of limiting its survey of wholesalers to a single company, McKesson.

The plaintiffs contend that the practices have driven up the wholesale cost of drugs for institutional buyers, including health insurers and government programs such as Medicaid, which in turn has cost taxpayers and insurance buyers billions of dollars. Neither company may reap financial rewards directly from widening the spread between the two benchmarks, but the plaintiffs claim the defendants have another motive, performing favors for their drug industry customers. McKesson claims it does not benefit from a higher average wholesale price. A McKesson spokesman said, "An increase or decrease in branded AWPs has no impact on McKesson's wholesale business or its financials."

In a settlement agreement tentatively approved by the federal court, First Databank will not pay any damages to the plaintiffs, but has agreed to reduce average wholesale prices (AWPs) by five percent for about 2,033 drugs. However, McKesson has chosen to fight the suits. Both firms deny any wrongdoing. McKesson claims it was unaware that it was the only company in First DataBank's survey, and that FDB testified under oath that it never informed McKesson it had restricted its survey to one company.

Stock prices of drug wholesalers and drugstore chains declined in a selloff after reports that FDB's legal settlement could reduce drug middleman costs by at least $4 billion a year.

Health care purchasers say the alleged price fixing adds substantial costs. One plaintiff, the New England Regional Council of Carpenters, estimated the settlement could save it about $400,000 a year, or four to five percent off the $10 million that the union's health fund pays to cover medications for about 18,000 people.

"This case is going to lead payers to demand more transparency in drug pricing," said Alex Sugerman-Brozan, director of the Prescription Access Litigation Project in Boston, which filed the suits. "It's this entire shadowy world that leads to massive overcharging."

Proposed settlement terms

On June 7, 2007 the United States District Court, District of Massachusetts granted 'preliminary approval' to the terms of the proposed price fixing litigation settlement. According to the pending settlement, First DataBank will:

Leadership

October 1, 2010 - Hearst Corporation announced today that Gregory H. Dorn, MD, MPH, has been named president of First Databank, a subsidiary of Hearst Business Media. Dorn succeeds Donald M. Nielsen, MD, who has been appointed chairman of the First Databank Advisory Board and senior health advisor.

February 22, 2013 - FDB announced that two internal company leaders, Bob Katter, MBA, and Charles Tuchinda, MD, MBA, have been promoted to the position of executive vice president. Both executives will co-lead the day-to-day operations of FDB and will report to President Gregory Dorn, MD. The promotions follow a recent announcement from FDB parent company Hearst Corporation, in which Dorn was named executive vice president and deputy group head of Hearst Business Media to oversee the company’s growing portfolio of healthcare businesses.

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