Saint Peter's University Hospital to Connect Physicians, Deploy EHRs with Complete Clinical Solution from McKesson

Saint Peter’s latest investment builds on a strong relationship with McKesson for pharmaceutical distribution services and pharmacy automation. In addition, the hospital recently completed a successful implementation of McKesson revenue management solutions, which are improving cash flow and patient management throughout the organization.

As part of the new agreement, the 478-bed teaching hospital will work with McKesson to deploy its Horizon Clinicals ^® software throughout the hospital over the next 18 months. Among the technologies to be adopted are computerized physician order entry (CPOE) , patient records, bar-coded medication administration and electronic documentation of patient care. In addition, the hospital will deploy an enterprise patient care visibility solution to give clinicians an easy way to track patient status.

To cost-effectively manage its information technology system, Saint Peter’s has chosen to use McKesson’s remote hosting services. The offering will provide the hospital with superior application management, datacenter, business continuity and disaster recovery capabilities.

“This agreement marks an important step forward for Saint Peter’s that will enable us to provide state-of-the-art tools for our clinicians,” said Frank DiSanzo, vice president and chief information officer, Saint Peter’s Healthcare System. “Because of our strong track record working together, we are confident that McKesson will give us the ability to better manage resources and ensure that each patient receives the very best care as they move through our hospital.”

The majority of the hospital’s patient care units will benefit from the use of McKesson technology. For example, in its birthing center – one of the largest in the state – Saint Peter's will use McKesson’s perinatal care solution to integrate fetal strip readings with a mother’s electronic health record. By giving clinicians access to the most up-to-date health information on mother and child in one place, the solution improves patient safety and reduces the need for duplicate charting.

In addition, the hospital’s 130 employed physicians will be connected in outpatient settings with a Web-based, workflow-driven ambulatory electronic health record solution that automates the clinical functions of a physician practice.

For non-employed physicians, Saint Peter’s plans to use the RelayHealth connectivity platform and patient-centric network to enable coordination of care. RelayHealth’s unique suite of software-as-a-service connectivity solutions enable access and exchange of actionable health information when and where it is needed with other connected providers - in local communities, across the state, regionally or throughout the nation.

“RelayHealth will be the foundation of our strategy to develop an HIE that can archive and transfer patient data,” said DiSanzo. “By achieving this high level of connectivity between patients, physicians and payors, we will achieve comprehensive patient care coordination across multiple health systems and communities. We believe this advanced technology will help differentiate Saint Peter’s in a competitive health care market.”

The hospital also partnered with McKesson to develop a medication management program that includes a “just-in-time” delivery of medications to all nursing units four times per day. Using McKesson’s robotic medication dispensing solution coupled with its on-site medication packaging service and bar-coding technology, Saint Peter’s continues to set a high standard for medication safety. With the new technology, the hospital has reduced missing and returned medications by 66 percent while lowering the risk of error associated with dosing changes and a high volume of patient discharges and transfers.

“Saint Peter's University Hospital has long been committed to using information technology to drive innovation in patient safety,” said Sunny Sanyal, president, McKesson Provider Technologies. “We’re proud to provide technology solutions that will enable them to connect their community and provide better, safer and more efficient care.”

 About Saint Peter’s University Hospital 

Saint Peter's University Hospital has served the health care needs of central New Jersey since 1908. Sponsored by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen it provides a broad array of services to the community–from sophisticated care of premature babies to specialized geriatric medicine. As a state-designated acute care children's hospital, Saint Peter's offers a full range of specialized pediatric health care services, including a sophisticated maternity program that delivers approximately 6,100 newborns annually. The hospital is an academic affiliate of Drexel University College of Medicine, the largest private medical school in the nation. Saint Peter's sponsors residency programs in internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology and pediatrics.

 About McKesson 

McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 15th 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 today, 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/ .

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