ATLANTA--(BW HealthWire)--Jan. 24, 2002--Furthering its comprehensive medication safety strategy initiative, Atlanta-based PROMINA Health System recently signed a $6.5 million agreement with McKesson Corporation to purchase several components of McKesson's Solution for Medication Safety, including Horizon Meds Manager(TM) pharmacy information system, Horizon Admin-Rx(TM) medication administration and ROBOT-Rx(TM) automated drug dispensing system.

According to J. Thomas Karr, Jr., Chair of the Operations Council for PROMINA Health System, the McKesson solutions will help PROMINA caregivers avoid medication errors by using information technology, robotics and scanning to automate every step of the medication management process. "Providing safe, cost-effective, quality care is the lifeblood of every one of our caregivers," said Karr. "Working with McKesson, I am confident that we can provide a safer environment at each point in the PROMINA care process, from the bedside to the lab, pharmacy and outpatient settings. With the addition of these very critical components, we will now have a complete solution for medication safety," he said.

McKesson has provided PROMINA with information technology and robotics to help automate the care delivery process at each of its four integrated healthcare systems for more than 15 years. "As part of PROMINA's medication safety strategy, the health system will complement McKesson's Horizon Meds Manager with the dispensing, scanning and administration technology of ROBOT-Rx and Horizon Admin-Rx to make a difference in the cost and quality of care," said Graham King, president and chief executive officer for McKesson Information Solutions.

Horizon Meds Manager is designed to process medication orders electronically, eliminate handwritten orders and provide clinicians with all of the necessary verification, documentation and reporting. ROBOT-Rx is a centralized robotic drug distribution system that automates the storage, dispensing, returning, restocking and crediting of bar-coded unit dose inpatient medications. The robot responds to electronic drug orders that have been verified in the pharmacy information system and fills up to 1,200 drug prescriptions per hour with virtually no errors. By automating routine tasks, both solutions free pharmacists to spend more time on clinical consultations.

"Automation in the pharmacy will go a long way to prevent errors, reduce costs and help involve pharmacists more directly in the care process," noted Robert Ryan, M.D., executive vice president and chief medical officer at PROMINA. "The online warnings and flags generated by Horizon Meds Manager, will help doctors and pharmacists to work more closely together in eliminating errors."

PROMINA was formed in 1994 when several Atlanta-area hospitals joined together to create a unique community-based system of healthcare. In 2000, PROMINA hospitals had more than 1.6 million opportunities to provide quality healthcare to the people of metro Atlanta. As the largest not-for-profit health system in Georgia, PROMINA is firmly committed to safe, quality healthcare. For more information, visit www.promina.org.

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.comhttp://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.

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These statements may be identified by their use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "may," "will," "should," "seeks," "approximates," "intends," "plans," "estimates" or the negative of these words or other comparable terminology. The most significant of these risks and uncertainties are described in the company's Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and include, but are not limited to: the resolution or outcome of pending litigation and government investigations relating to the company's previously announced financial restatement ("Restatement"); the effect of the events relating to, or arising out of, the Restatement on the company's ability to attract and retain employees and management; the changing U.S. healthcare environment, including potential changes in private and governmental reimbursement for healthcare products and services, the method by which such products and services are delivered, legislation or regulations governing such products and services, or mandated benefits or changes in manufacturers' pricing or distribution policies; substantial defaults in payment or a material reduction in purchases by large customers; the ability of McKesson Information Solutions to retain existing customers and to attract new customers in light of rapid technological advances, challenges in integrating the company's software products, or the slowing or deferral of demand for such products resulting from the impact of current or pending government regulations; the timing and amounts of the ongoing customer settlement process; and the company's ability to successfully integrate and operate acquired businesses, and manage the risks associated with such businesses, including the acquisition of the business formerly known as HBO & Co. The company assumes no obligation to update information contained in this release.

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