iKnowMedTM Electronic Health Record (EHR) System Now Certified by Surescripts® for E-prescribing

"E-prescribing is a convenient and efficient tool for patients, pharmacies and healthcare providers alike," said Asif Ahmad, executive vice president, Information and Technology Services, McKesson Specialty Care Solutions | US Oncology. "Being certified to offer E-prescribing through iKnowMed is yet another testimony to our continued commitment to enhancing quality patient care."

Using iKnowMed, clinicians will be able to send new prescriptions electronically to a participating pharmacy and receive renewal requests directly in the EHR. Prescribers can review the requests and respond with a few simple keystrokes. In addition to electronic prescribing, iKnowMed EHR provides real time access to a patient's insurance eligibility, plan formulary and medication history information at the point of care. Physicians can help patients manage their medication costs by ensuring the most cost effective treatment.

iKnowMed will provide Prescription Routing, Benefits, and Medication History functionality to iKnowMed customers with the release of version 6.3.

Currently, iKnowMed is implemented in more than 200 sites nationwide. The web-based EHR allows clinicians to have 24/7 immediate access to comprehensive patient charts, detailed cancer diagnosis and staging content, and an extensive up-to-date cancer regimen library that allows them to make treatment decisions from anywhere at any time, without the need of a patient's paper record. iKnowMed further enhances patient safety in the practice through the elimination of handwritten notes and drug orders, which minimizes inaccuracies, and through safety alerts generated through the system when it detects possible medication conflicts or high toxicity levels in each patient. The system also has the ability to identify patients for appropriate clinical trials available at the practice and suggest evidence-based treatment options with point-of-care decision support.

About McKesson Specialty Care Solutions | US Oncology
McKesson Specialty Care Solutions | US Oncology, a division of McKesson Corporation, empowers the community patient care delivery system to advance the science, technology and quality of care. Through innovative clinical, research, business and operational solutions, facilitated by integrated technology systems, we improve the financial health of our customers and help them provide quality care for patients. For more information, visit www.mckesson.com/specialty and www.usoncology.com.

About iKnowMed™
McKesson Specialty Care Solutions | US Oncology's iKnowMed™ Web-based oncology-specific electronic health record (EHR) system has been designed by oncologists to enhance the patient experience and advance the science of cancer care. iKnowMed goes beyond delivering standard EHR features by leveraging technology that helps physicians focus on clinical excellence and cost-effectiveness in community cancer care. With more than 975,000 patient records; 6,800 concurrent users; and nearly 1,000 provider users, the system provides insight into quality patient care and serves as a decision support tool at the point of care by providing staging and diagnosis suggestions according to criteria from the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC). The system also allows access to US Oncology's Level I Pathways -- evidence-based medicine -- and screens new patients for potential clinical trial eligibility for open trials available at the practice. For more information call (866) 216-5053 or visit www.iKnowMed.com.

About Surescripts
Surescripts is the result of a 2008 merger between the country's two leading health information networks: RxHub and SureScripts. Surescripts gives healthcare providers secure electronic access to prescription information that can improve efficiency and reduce the cost of healthcare for all. Available during emergencies or routine care, the Surescripts network is used every day by thousands of physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and other prescribers across all 50 states. The Surescripts network connects these prescribers to all of the nation's major chain pharmacies, the nation's leading payers and independent pharmacies nationwide. For more information, go to www.surescripts.com.

PR Contact

Claire Crye
(281) 863-6783
Claire.Crye@usoncology.com