McKesson Healthcare IT Systems to Enhance Service and Safety at Clinton Memorial Hospital; Leading Community Hospital to Adopt Electronic Health Records

With a five-year, $50 million building and renovationproject recently completed, CMH Regional Health System's ClintonMemorial Hospital (CMH) begins the next phase of its clinicalexcellence and quality transformation with a move to electronic healthrecords (EHRs). The Wilmington, Ohio-based hospital recently signedagreements totaling approximately $18 million to implement a widerange of clinical, financial and operational IT systems from McKessonCorporation (NYSE:MCK). The systems, which include the full HorizonClinicals(R) suite as well as pharmacy automation, are designed toequip caregivers with sophisticated tools for optimizing quality andsafety while streamlining processes and dramatically reducingdependence on paper.

"Our vision is for Clinton Memorial Hospital to become the bestcommunity hospital in America," said Tim Crowley, president and chiefexecutive officer of CMH Regional Health System. "To achieve ourobjective, we must invest in systems that help physicians, nurses,pharmacists and other clinicians to provide more informed, safer care.McKesson's technology will also strengthen our core businessprocesses, from daily scheduling and management of resources tobilling, claims management and long-term strategic planning."

Building off its success with McKesson's medical imaging solution,one of CMH's top priorities is to provide physicians in the communitywith secure, Web-based access to patient information, includingmedication orders, test results, patient charts and diagnostic images.By using McKesson's HorizonWP(R) Physician Portal solution to connectphysicians regardless of their location -- hospital, home or office --CMH expects to enable faster, more informed decisions that lead tohigher-quality healthcare.

"Our medical staff has already seen the benefit of technologiessuch as medical imaging, which has nearly eliminated the use of film,significantly reduced costs, and improved turnaround time anddiagnostic quality," commented Keith Holten, M.D., director of CMHMedical Staff Education and the CMH Family Health Center/FamilyMedicine Residency Program. "We're excited about the prospect of anelectronic health record and surrounding tools such as alerts andclinical decision support that support more immediate and moreinformed patient treatment."

CMH pharmacists will benefit from next-generation automationsolutions that safeguard how medications are dispensed as well as acentral pharmacy system designed with safety checks such asdrug-interaction alerts. Once delivered to patient floors, nurses willuse handheld bar-code scanning devices at the bedside to ensure the"five rights" of medication safety -- right patient, right drug, rightdose, right time and right route. Medications administered willautomatically be recorded in the patient's electronic health record,which can be viewed by all authorized medical staff caring for thepatient.

In addition to improving safety, the use of electronic healthrecords is designed to dramatically reduce CMH's dependence on paper,leading to both clinical and operational efficiencies. Onceimplemented, nurses and other caregivers may document patient careelectronically at the bedside, enabling them to spend more time withpatients while meeting regulatory requirements. Over time, CMH plansto implement clinical decision support technology to facilitateevidence-based care and use of demonstrated best practices forimproving patient outcomes.

As part of its quality transformation, CMH will use McKessonsolutions to help optimize reimbursement and financial management,manage facilities and human resources, centralize scheduling, andevaluate performance indicators. "With the practice of healthcareevolving rapidly, we see technology as a key vehicle for drivingchange and creating a more efficient, strategically focusedorganization," commented Andy Riddell, CMH vice president,Operations/Leadership Coach.

"CMH clearly appreciates the potential for information technologyto drive clinical excellence and healthcare transformation," saidPamela Pure, president of McKesson Provider Technologies. "We lookforward to partnering with CMH to help achieve safety and performanceobjectives that create a meaningful impact for the community itserves."

About Clinton Memorial Hospital

With 156 licensed beds and a medical staff of more than 130 in 30specialties, Clinton Memorial Hospital offers a full range of medicalservices, including emergency, cardiology, acute care, oncology,women's and children's services, sub-acute care, rehabilitationservices, surgical services, corporate health, home care, a sleep lab,and wound care. For more information, visit www.cmhregional.com.

About McKesson

McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 15th on the FORTUNE 500, isa healthcare services and information technology company dedicated tohelping its customers deliver high-quality healthcare by reducingcosts, streamlining processes, and improving the quality and safety ofpatient care. Over the course of its 170-year history, McKesson hasgrown by providing pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supplymanagement across the spectrum of care; healthcare informationtechnology for hospitals, physicians, homecare, and payors; hospitaland retail pharmacy automation; and services for manufacturers andpayors designed to improve outcomes for patients. For moreinformation, visit www.mckesson.com.