McKesson Launches Information Resources to Help Physicians Take Advantage of Economic Stimulus

As part of the Achieve HIT program, McKesson will provide an online information resource for physicians. The company also is offering a free physician hotline at 1-877-EHR-1MCK, providing physicians or their staff the ability to talk with McKesson representatives about their electronic health record (EHR) requirements.

These initiatives are part of a larger ongoing effort to help every member of the healthcare community successfully implement technology to make healthcare safer and more connected. The HITECH stimulus provisions call for reimbursement incentives up to $64,000 per physician based on meeting certain criteria. Hospitals can qualify for $2 million-$8 million in funding. The incentives take effect October 2010 for hospitals and January 2011 for physicians.

“The HITECH incentives represent a significant step toward enabling healthcare that’s safer, more efficient and better connected,” said Pamela J. Pure, president of McKesson Technology Solutions. “By greatly lowering the barrier created by cost, the stage is set to accelerate the adoption of IT, particularly among physicians, the great majority of whom still rely on paper to practice medicine. We also believe the incentives will be a strong catalyst to drive the workflow changes necessary for hospitals to embrace computerized physician order entry and physician documentation in order to fully automate the health system’s EHR.”

Hospitals and health systems stand to benefit from the incentives, whether through first-time deployment of EHRs, completion of existing multi-year health IT projects or developing alignment strategies for virtual information exchange with affiliated physicians. Pure noted that while provisions in the HITECH legislation related to privacy, system certification and meaningful use will take time to clarify, providers should begin planning now in order to qualify for the incentives.

“It’s time to see the industry unite and work aggressively to automate and connect healthcare,” said Pure. “It’s time to leave the paper behind and use technology to create and connect a virtual care team. McKesson is committed to leading this effort and providing health systems and physician offices of all sizes with the information, consultation and planning tools required to build a strategic IT roadmap.

“McKesson’s unique ability to support large health systems and small community hospitals as well as employed physicians and independent physician groups of all sizes puts us in a unique position to drive and advise this critical healthcare transformation,” Pure continued. “It’s important for providers to begin this work now in order to benefit from the incentives when they take effect in 20 months.”

Proven Results from Healthcare IT

Many providers that use healthcare IT have demonstrated dramatic results in improving the quality and cost of healthcare. Here are three examples from physician practices:

When payors began emphasizing disease management and preventive care, Spokane Internal Medicine (SIM), a 12-provider practice in Washington, deployed Practice Partner^® software. Practice Partner Patient Records^® Version 9.3 is a CCHIT Certified product for CCHIT Ambulatory EHR 2008 and Child Health. With the help of Practice Partner’s unique health maintenance module, the practice’s quality measures now ensure that specific patient tests are routinely completed according to clinically appropriate goals and objectives. Last year, more than 87% of SIM’s diabetic patients took an HbA1c test, which measures blood glucose control over a period of 2-3 months and gives patients an indication of how well their treatment plan is working. Of those patients, 76% were well-controlled, with HbA1c levels of less than 7%.

OMNI Medical Group, a 100-provider practice and a subsidiary of St. John’s Health System based in Tulsa, Okla., leveraged a Practice Partner integrated EHR system to support its launch of an important disease management initiative, which helped physicians increase the number of diabetic patients receiving an HbA1c test. In addition to the patient care benefits, OMNI has been able to code more accurately because of the clear and comprehensive documentation stored in the EHR. This has resulted in a $260,000 increase in annual revenue and the elimination of $500,000 per year in transcription costs.

Advanzed Health Care, a two-provider practice in Arlington, Va., leveraged the Practice Partner solution to automate clinical functions, improving access to diagnostic tests and medication. Physicians can now access EHRs from their local hospital, making it easier to make rounds on patients. They also can share information and reminders about medication and preventative care with patients in a timely fashion. As a result, the number of coronary heart disease patients able to get lipid-lowering prescriptions has increased from 58% to 95%; the number of hypertensive patients with well-controlled blood pressure has increased from 45% to 84%; and the number of diabetes patients undergoing the microalbumin / creatinine test to evaluate kidney function has increased from 4% to 85%.

About McKesson

McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 18th 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. McKesson is the longest-operating company in healthcare, marking its 175^th anniversary last year. Over the course of its 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, visit http://www.mckesson.com.

“CCHIT Certified^SM is a service mark of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology.”