The Federal Drug Administration plans to unveil next month a new system for notifying doctors when there is an issue with a drug or device they have prescribed (Source: "FDA goes digital for faster 'Dear Doctor' letters," AMA News, June 19, 2008).
The online system, called the Health Care Notification Network, will send so-called "Dear Doctor" letters via e-mail and post them on the special Web site. HCNN is funded by drug and device manufacturers and is free to physicians. The creators of the network estimate that the time needed for drug and device manufacturers to notify doctors of potential problems will decrease from three to four weeks to one or two days.
