Appalachian Regional Healthcare Connecting Physicians with McKesson's Electronic Health Record

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) recently announced that it will deploy McKesson’s Horizon Ambulatory Care^TM electronic health record (EHR) system to more than 190 employed and affiliated physicians in rural communities across eastern Kentucky and West Virginia. ARH is one of a growing number of hospitals in McKesson’s Connecting Physicians^SM program, which takes advantage of a hospital’s existing technology infrastructure to foster adoption of clinical information technology in physician practices. ARH has deployed a wide range of McKesson solutions, ranging from pharmacy automation and robotics to a Web-based physician portal that enables “anytime, anywhere” access to inpatient information for enhanced decision making and increased patient safety.

Plans also call for ARH to offer RelayHealth’s intelligent network to connect physicians with their patients, the hospital, other physicians and pharmacies. With the click of a mouse, patients of ARH physicians on the network can request prescription refills and renewals, schedule physician appointments and receive laboratory results. They can also communicate with their physicians electronically for non-urgent issues using a WebVisit^® online consultation. This clinically-structured online medical interview gathers key data about a patient's symptoms and relays it quickly and concisely to the physician offering both physicians and patients a more convenient and efficient way to communicate.

“By building on the integration and functionality of the McKesson solutions that are already being adopted by physicians, we’re able to bring a wide variety of patient data right to the physician’s desktop,” said Joe Grossman, ARH vice president for administration. “Through this initiative, we’re bringing both our employed and affiliated physicians together to enhance the communication between them and their patients, and between them and our hospitals. This improved communication and functionality will enable better, safer healthcare for the people in our communities.”

Taking advantage of the exception that CMS created to the Stark rules, ARH will offer the purchase of the Horizon Ambulatory Care at substantially reduced rates to affiliated physicians in its service areas and will provide maintenance and technical support. McKesson’s ambulatory EHR includes an e-prescribing system that enables physicians to automatically perform drug screening for allergies, problems and other medications while checking prescriptions against payor formularies and eligibility rules. The health system will phase in additional EHR capabilities, including the ability to place orders, document patient visits and make patient information available across care settings. ARH actively engaged affiliated community physicians in the selection process.

“The single biggest reason that I’m sold on electronic health records is the opportunity to improve the quality of care for our patients,” said J.D. Miller, M.D., ARH vice president, Medical Affairs. “Physicians both within a practice – and across care settings in the community – will have access to the same patient information, enabling better coordination and continuity in the care we deliver.”

According to McKesson, studies show that physicians prefer to partner with a local hospital for EHR technology and that they are eager to take advantage of a system that enhances both patient safety and operational efficiencies.

“Appalachian Regional Healthcare has become a leader in what is quickly emerging as a national trend,” said Tom Leonard, McKesson’s senior vice president of Ambulatory Solutions. “Hospitals are in an ideal position to bring these high-value, proven applications to the physician practice setting. Through its innovative efforts, ARH is connecting its care givers with a single electronic health record that can be shared across the community.”

About ARH

The Appalachian Regional Healthcare Mission: To improve health and promote the well-being of all people in Central Appalachia in partnership with its communities.

The Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) system is a not-for-profit health system serving 350,000 residents across Eastern Kentucky and Southern West Virginia. Operating nine hospitals, clinics, home health agencies, HomeCare Stores and retail pharmacies, ARH is the largest provider of care, single largest employer in southeastern Kentucky and the third largest private employer in southern West Virginia. The ARH system employs more than 4,000 employees and has a network of more than 400 active and courtesy medical staff members representing various specialties. Firmly committed to its mission of improving the health and promoting the well-being of all people in Eastern Kentucky and Southern West Virginia, ARH provided nearly $96 million in charity and uncompensated care in the past year alone. For more information, visit http://www.arh.org.

About McKesson

McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 18^th 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, and will mark 175 years of continuous operations in 2008. 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.

About RelayHealth

RelayHealth is McKesson’s vendor-neutral connectivity services company. Its intelligent network is designed to streamline clinical, financial and administrative communication between patients, providers, payors, pharmacies and financial institutions. RelayHealth works to accelerate the delivery of high-quality care and improve financial performance through solutions such as online consultation of physicians by patients, electronic prescribing, point-of-service pharmacy claims resolution by payors, pre-visit patient financial clearance by providers, and post-visit provider bill settlement by payors and patients. Our pharmacy solutions include: Pre & Post Editing Services, RxSafety Advisor™, AWP Resubmission Services, eVoucherRx™, Preferred PatientRx™, EasyFSA™; and our payor solutions include: IntegrateRx™ and ProPBMSM. RelayHealth operates as a neutral partner in an open network environment, offering connectivity and integration among all organizations, systems, and solutions. For more information, call (800) 778-6711, or visit our Web site at http://www.RelayHealth.com.