LANSING — Meijer is the latest retail pharmacy to integrate the new Michigan Automated Prescription System into its existing pharmacy management systems in pharmacy locations across Michigan.

The integration equips Meijer with a vital tool to combat the ongoing opioid crisis, according to representatives with the Michigan Licensing and Regulatory Affairs department.

Earlier this year, Kroger, also with the help of Appriss Health, announced integration with MAPS.

“Meijer and Appriss Health are supportive partners that have worked relentlessly to help LARA integrate the new MAPS into existing systems in order to help address the opioid epidemic in Michigan,” said Lt. Gov. Brian Calley. “Meijer’s integration will provide pharmacists with real-time information about potentially harmful prescribing and dispensing trends and help pharmacists make better and more informed decisions.”

A $2.47 million appropriation from the state legislature gave LARA the opportunity to begin replacing the old MAPS, which launched on April 4.

Using $1.8 million remaining from the state appropriations and after the Department received an additional $373,000 in a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Calley, along with Appriss Health, announced on June 19 that the state would cover the full integration of MAPS into the clinical workflow.

Michigan health systems, physician groups and pharmacies have until August 31, 2019 to complete the integration with the available funds.

Providers who integrate will also receive Appriss Health’s NarxCare, a comprehensive substance use disorder platform with powerful analytics for risk assessment and patient support. NarxCare aggregates two years of historical prescription data from providers and pharmacies, including quantities and active prescriptions, and presents interactive, visual representations of the data.

The platform also provides tools and resources to enable prescribers, dispensers and care teams to help patients and connect them to treatment if necessary.

In addition to being integrated with Michigan’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, MAPS, Meijer is also integrated with the state PDMPs in Ohio and Indiana.