Baton Rouge General Health System Uses McKesson Technology to Align Services With Community Need

McKesson Corp. (NYSE:MCK) today announced that it has signed a $15 million technology and automation agreement with General Health System (GHS) of Baton Rouge, La. GHS will deploy a wide range of systems designed to support nurses, physicians, pharmacists and other members of the care team in the delivery of safe, effective care at Baton Rouge General Medical Center (BRGMC) and surrounding ambulatory care settings. BRGMC is the only community-owned, full-service hospital serving the capital city’s nine-parish region. In combination, the new technologies will support GHS in developing an electronic health record (EHR) that spans both inpatient and outpatient settings for greater continuity of care regardless of where patients seek medical services. "Because we’re a community hospital, we are aggressively creating an environment that enables physicians to work more collaboratively to the ultimate benefit of our patients and the community we serve,” said Bill Holman, president and chief executive officer, General Health System. "By providing physicians with access to a connected clinical solution, we are making it much easier for all of our provider participants to make more informed decisions that can lead to safer, faster and more effective treatment decisions.” Central to BRGMC’s initiative is McKesson’s Horizon Ambulatory Care™ EHR solution, which includes electronic prescriptions (e-prescribing) and practice management technology. The e-prescribing system will enable more than 300 associated and participating referring physicians to automatically perform drug screening for allergies, problems and other medications while checking prescriptions against payor formularies and eligibility rules. McKesson’s physician practice management solution will support physician administrative processes, such as patient registration and scheduling and claims processing. Rounding out the physician offerings, physician portal technology will enable secure, Web-based access to patient information regardless of the physician’s location – in the hospital, the office, at home or elsewhere. "By adopting advanced technology solutions, we can help our patients and medical professionals gain access to their health records regardless of their location,” Holman continued. "At the same time, we are fulfilling our mission of providing exceptional care. Our goal is to make BRGMC the most preferred care provider in the area for medical staff, patients and employees based on superior quality, service, satisfaction and technology.” To support patient safety, BRGMC will deploy the McKesson Medication Safety AdvantageSM, which is designed to help organizations re-engineer their processes to reduce medication errors and enhance quality of care. The solution includes handheld, bar-code scanning devices to prompt nurses to check for the five rights of medication safety – right patient, right drug, right dose, right time and right route. Once the implementation is complete, BRGMC also will become the largest user of McKesson’s transportable workstation, CarePoint-RN™, which places everything nurses need at their fingertips – patient-specific medication, bins, supplies, a bar-code scanner and a wireless PC – enabling them to access clinical information, scan and administer medications, complete assessments and chart care from anywhere in the hospital. In the hospital’s central pharmacy, McKesson’s ROBOT-Rx® will automate manual medication dispensing processes via a high-volume, bar-code driven robotic dispensing system for unit-dose medications. The robot integrates with McKesson’s industry leading pharmacy information system, Horizon Meds Manager™, to enhance and safeguard medication dispensing by reducing the chance of adverse drug events (ADEs), and to optimize resources – both people and supplies. In the latter phase of the clinical initiative, BRGMC will take the final step to the closed-loop ordering process by deploying McKesson’s Horizon Expert Orders™ solution for clinical decision support and physician order entry. The application provides physicians and other clinicians with advanced decision support based on the role of the clinician, the patient’s condition and evidence-based clinical knowledge. "Baton Rouge General Medical Center is at the heart of Louisiana’s healthcare delivery system,” said Pamela Pure, president of McKesson Provider Technologies. "Hurricane Katrina was a dramatic lesson in the importance of electronic access to vital patient information. We are proud to partner with hospital staff and administration as they build upon a legacy of compassionate care, innovation and leadership.” About Baton Rouge General Medical Center Baton Rouge General Medical Center is the only community-owned, not-for-profit, full service hospital in Baton Rouge. Established in 1900 as Baton Rouge’s first hospital, the organization is dedicated to improving the health and quality of life of citizens by providing for their healthcare needs in a compassionate and caring environment, with access to the latest in medical technology and treatment. The 448-bed BRGMC serves the community from two hospital campuses — Mid City and Bluebonnet. Signature programs include cardiology, cancer, surgical services, women’s services, obstetrics, diabetes, burn treatment and comprehensive inpatient and outpatient physical rehabilitation services. Baton Rouge General Medical Center has been named Louisiana’s Hospital of the Year four times by the Louisiana State Nurses Association (2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006). In addition to the hospital, the GHS organization includes First Care Physicians, Advanced Medical Concepts, Mid City Redevelopment Alliance, Baton Rouge General Medical Center's Foundation and other programs providing care and services to residents of the capitol city's nine-parish region. For more information: www.brgeneral.org. About McKesson McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 16th on the FORTUNE 500, is a healthcare services and information technology company dedicated to helping its customers deliver high-quality healthcare by reducing costs, streamlining processes, and improving the quality and safety of patient care. Over the course of its 174-year history, McKesson has grown by providing pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management across the spectrum of care; healthcare information technology for hospitals, physicians, homecare, and payors; hospital and retail pharmacy automation; and services for manufacturers and payors designed to improve outcomes for patients. For more information: www.mckesson.com.