SAN FRANCISCO--(BW HealthWire)--Nov. 27, 2001--Physicians in southeast Georgia and South Carolina will soon have another reason to refer and admit patients to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, Ga. Memorial Health recently contracted with McKesson Corporation for its comprehensive clinical decision support and physician order entry system to facilitate the use of evidence-based medicine by Memorial Health's 350-plus physicians. The contract for Horizon Expert Orders(TM) builds on the popularity of McKesson's Horizon(WP) Physician Portal(TM), which physicians already use for "anytime, anywhere" Web access to patient information stored at Memorial Health.

"Selecting Horizon Expert Orders ties directly into our strategic plan of continuing to strengthen physician loyalty and build acceptance of new technology that can help improve the quality of care," said Robert Colvin, president and chief executive officer. "We want physicians to say that 'Memorial Health is the best place to practice,' and Horizon Expert Orders will take us a long way toward achieving this goal."

Part of the Horizon Clinicals family of solutions, Horizon Expert Orders matches the physician's workflow with point-of-care clinical decision support powered by an interactive expert knowledge engine that displays clinically relevant information about a patient's condition along with treatment protocols. The system revolutionizes the order entry process and produces real-time alerts when inconsistencies are detected, helping to improve quality of care.

"Horizon Expert Orders will help us evaluate, identify and implement best practices as determined by our own physicians and others so that we can take advantage of evidence-based medicine," Colvin said. "That will result in less variability in how we deliver care, which will ultimately lead to better patient outcomes and lower costs."

Memorial Health served as McKesson's partner last year when it introduced the Horizon(WP) Physician Portal, which provides personalized views of information in legacy systems based upon a physician's specialty. Incorporating Horizon Expert Orders into the organization's clinical IT strategy builds on the successful adoption of the portal, according to Steven Stanic, vice president and chief information officer. "Within three months, more than 350 physicians were using Horizon(WP) Physician Portal to access medical record transcriptions as well as laboratory and radiology orders and results," he said.

According to a study conducted about physician adoption of technology at Memorial Health, 91 percent of physicians say they have more information to make patient care decisions and 83 percent say the Horizon(WP) Physician Portal saves them time. "When physicians see that they can truly benefit from technology, they are more likely to accept and use the clinical systems we provide," Stanic said.

Frank Davis, M.D., assistant chief trauma surgeon for critical care at Memorial Health, agreed, especially since McKesson understands the value of involving physicians in the development of clinical IT systems. "The process has been good for our physicians since they worked with McKesson to develop the physician portal and will be involved in developing the ongoing content they'll use in Horizon Expert Orders," Dr. Davis said. "We are able to provide input and see that these products are being developed for physicians just like us, which is really important to gaining physician buy-in."

According to Graham King, president of McKesson Information Solutions, the best clinical IT solutions are ones that physicians and other clinicians actually use. "We focus on developing systems that are easy to understand, work within the natural flow of a clinician's day, provide access to the data clinicians need and show real time-savings benefits," King said. "Our proof of physician adoption is that more than 11,000 physicians have access to the Horizon(WP) Physician Portal. And we're building on that foundation with new solutions such as Horizon Expert Orders."

Memorial Health serves a 35-county area in southeast Georgia and southern South Carolina. The system includes a 530-licensed bed tertiary medical center, a two-state homecare division, primary and specialty care physician networks, a major medical education program, business and industry services, and a 24-hour call center.

McKesson Corporation is the leader in helping healthcare organizations worldwide provide quality care in the most cost-effective manner possible. Healthcare organizations use our comprehensive solutions to improve patient safety and reduce the cost and variability of care as well as to better manage their revenue stream and resources. For more information, visit McKesson's website at www.mckesson.com. With revenues of $42 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2001, McKesson ranks No. 35 in the 2001 Fortune 500.