CalOptima, a health organization serving over 250,000 Medi-Cal and Healthy Families beneficiaries living in Orange County, California, announced that physicians using the ePocrates Rx drug reference guide for Palm OS powered devices will soon be able to download the regional Medi-Cal drug formulary onto their handheld devices.

ePocrates' new application, ePocrates Rx Formulary, will combine CalOptima's formulary information with the clinical data in ePocrates Rx. The companies said having this information will allow physicians to prescribe more effectively by giving them point-of-care access to up-to-date drug information including indication-specific dosing, adverse reactions and drug interactions.

"The volume of information needed to provide state-of-the-art medicine is so large, that it is increasingly difficult for a doctor to practice the highest quality medicine with an 'un-aided' mind," says Greg Buchert, M.D., CalOptima's medical director of pharmaceutical services. "At CalOptima we recognize that checking formularies on handheld devices is far more convenient and up-to-date than checking a paper guide. We are hoping that by partnering with ePocrates, we'll be able to make it easier for our providers to check our formulary."