Press Releases

Survey of Primary Care Physicians in 11 nations finds U.S. Lagging In Access, Quality, and Use of Health Information Technology

Dan Bowman — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:44:38 -0500

New York, NY, November 5, 2009-Fifty-eight percent of primary care doctors in the U.S. report their patients often have difficulty paying for medications and care, and half of U.S. doctors spend substantial time dealing with restrictions insurance companies place on their patients' care, according to findings from the 2009 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey published online today in the journal Health Affairs. The responses of U.S. doctors also stand out in the 11-country survey because the vast majority (69%) report that their practices do not have provisions for after-hours care, forcing patients to seek care in emergency departments. U.S. doctors were also far less likely to use health information technology that helps reduce errors and improve care-only 46 percent of U.S. doctors use electronic medical records compared to 99 percent of doctors in the Netherlands and 97 percent of doctors in New Zealand and Norway.

Many of the areas in which the U.S. lags would be addressed by proposed health reform legislation currently under consideration in Congress. "We spend far more than any of the other countries in the survey, yet a majority of U.S. primary care doctors say their patients often can't afford care, and a wide majority of primary care physicians don't have advanced computer systems to access patient test results, anticipate and avoid medication errors, or support care for chronically ill patients," said Commonwealth Fund Senior Vice President Cathy Schoen, lead author of the article. "The patient-centered chronic care model originated in the U.S., yet other countries are moving forward faster to support care teams including nurses, spending time with patients, and assuring access to after-hours. The study underscores the pressing need for national reforms to close the performance gap to improve outcomes and reduce costs."

The survey of more than 10,000 primary care physicians in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States describes a U.S. primary care system that is under stress and highlights areas where the U.S. can learn from other countries. Notably, the U.S. could look to improve by using financial incentives to improve quality and efficiency, expanding access to health care and simplifying insurance, expanding the use of health information technology to prevent medical errors, and using a medical home approach to primary care where patients have options for care at any time of day or night, teams of health care providers to manage conditions, and continuity of care.

"Access barriers, lack of information, and inadequate financial support for preventive and chronic care undermine primary care doctors' efforts to provide timely, high quality care and put the U.S. far behind what many other countries are able to achieve," said Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis. "Our weak primary care system puts patients at risk, and results in poorer health outcomes, and higher costs. The survey provides yet another reminder of the urgent need for reforms that make accessible, high-quality primary care a national priority."

Survey Highlights:

Access and Barriers to Care- More than half of U.S. physicians (58%) report their patients often have difficulty paying for medications or other out-of-pocket costs, compared to between 5 percent and 37 percent in the other countries.

U.S. physicians are also 4 times or more as likely as physicians in some other countries-Australia, Netherlands, Sweden and the U.K.-to report major problems with the time they or their staff spend getting patients needed medication or treatment due to insurance coverage restrictions. About half (48%) of U.S. physicians report this is a major problem, compared to just 6 percent in the U.K.

Twenty-eight percent of U.S. doctors report their patients often face long waits to see a specialist-a rate similar to that reported by Australian (35%) and U.K. (22%) physicians, the lowest rates in the survey. Three-quarters of Canadian and Italian physicians reported long waits.

After-Hours Care Outside the Emergency Room- Most U.S. primary care doctors say they have no arrangement for access to care after normal office hours except for directing patients to a hospital emergency room. Just 29 percent of U.S. doctors report any arrangement for patients to see a doctor or nurse after hours, a drop from 40 percent in the 2006 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey. In contrast, nearly all doctors in the Netherlands (97%), and large majorities in New Zealand (89%) and the U.K (89%) report after-hour provision, as do more than three of four doctors in France (78%) and Italy (77%).

Health Information Technology- While nearly half (46%) of U.S. primary care doctors report using electronic medical records (EMRs)-up from 28 percent in 2006-U.S. primary care practices, along with Canadian doctors, continue to lag well behind other leading countries. EMRs are nearly universal in the Netherlands (99%), New Zealand (97%), the U.K. (96%), Australia (95%), Italy (94%), Norway (97%), and Sweden (94%).

In addition to basic EMRs, the survey asked about a range of 13 possible computer functions, including electronic medication prescribing and alerts for medication errors, ordering lab tests and viewing test results, and support and prompts for preventive care and follow-up care with patients. Here country results varied widely, ranging from nearly all to half of doctors reporting at least nine of 14 possible computerized functions in New Zealand (92%), Australia (91%), the U.K. (89%), Italy (66%), and the Netherlands (54%), to one fourth or fewer practices in the U.S. (26%), Canada (14%), France (15%), and Norway (19%).

Notably, in the United States, advanced information capacity was concentrated in larger group practices and those affiliated with integrated care systems. In contrast, in the seven countries with near universal use of EMRs, there was little or no difference in advanced health information technology use by practice size. The authors note that in these countries national policies and standards have supported wide adoption of information technology in primary care practices.

Financial Incentives to Improve Quality- Every country in the survey, to some degree, uses financial incentives to improve primary care, preventive care, or disease management. Primary care physicians in the U.S., however, are among the least likely to report that they receive financial incentives for quality improvement, such as bonuses for achieving high patient satisfaction ratings, increasing preventive care, use of teams, or managing patients with chronic disease or complex needs. Only one-third of U.S. physicians reported receiving any financial incentives for the six quality improvement measures in the survey. Rates were also low in Sweden and Norway. In contrast, significant majorities of doctors in the U.K (89%), the Netherlands (81%), New Zealand (80%), Italy (70%) and Australia (65%) report some type of extra financial incentive or target support to improve primary care capacity.

Use of Care Teams and Systems to Care for Patients with Chronic Illness- Teams that include health professionals such as nurses serve an important role in managing care, especially for chronic conditions. The survey results indicate that use of teams is widespread in Sweden (98%), the U.K, (98%), the Netherlands (91%), Australia (88%), New Zealand (88%), Germany (73%) and Norway (73%). Use of teams was far less frequent in the United States (59%), Canada (52%), and France (11%) based on primary care physician reports.

Use of evidence-based guidelines for chronic disease was high in all countries for diabetes, asthma, and hypertension but notably lower for depression. Yet, providing written instructions for patients to manage care at home is not yet routine in any country-gaps exist in all. Only in Italy did more than half of physicians (63%) say they routinely provide written instructions to chronically ill patients for managing care at home.

Quality Reporting and Feedback- Many countries in the survey have also been investing in information on performance to provide incentive and benchmarks. The authors note that "information that peers have met with success is often instrumental to guide and drive innovation."

Asked about comparative information systems, doctors in the U.K. are most likely to routinely receive and review data on clinical outcomes (89%), followed by Sweden (71%), New Zealand (68%), and the Netherlands (65%). Less than half of doctors in other surveyed countries-including the U.S. at 43 percent-report such reviews.

U.K physicians (65%) were by far the most likely to report they receive data on how they compare to other practices and, along with Sweden and New Zealand doctors, the most likely to have information on patient experiences. Notably, U.S. doctors lagged well behind these leading countries on feedback on both clinical quality and patient experiences.

Tracking Medical Errors- The study finds that half or more primary care doctors in Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands report not yet having a process to identify "adverse events" and take action. Just one in five U.S. primary care physicians say they have a process that works well to identify risks and take follow up actions; one third said they have no process. At 56 percent, U.K. physicians were most likely to say they have processes they think work well, followed by Sweden (41%), New Zealand (32%), and Australia (32%).

Looking across survey results, the authors conclude that national policies have been instrumental in the leading countries to achieve round-the-clock access, information systems, and advance primary care teams. They note that "overall, the survey highlights the lack of national policies focused on U.S. primary care. Unless primary care practices are part of more integrated care systems, they are on their own facing multiple payers with uncoordinated policies."

U.S. In Perspective: Pressing Need for Reforms

Following survey findings that point out lagging U.S. performance, Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis noted that key national reforms could make a significant difference by:

Covering everyone, with a set of benefits that emphasizes primary care and prevention and which remove financial barriers and support primary care physicians as well as their patients;
Providing financial incentives focused on value and health outcomes;
Supporting primary care practices and their capacity to serve as -medical homes‖ with 24-hour access, use of teams of health professionals, and continuity of care;
Accelerating the adoption and use of health information technology, including electronic medication prescribing to reduce risks of errors;
Simplifying insurance to reduce complexity and paperwork for doctors and their staff;
Investing in information systems with quality reporting and feedback to spread improved care and safety.

Country-specific information and an online tool to create charts and tables using Commonwealth Fund international survey data from 2006-2009 are available at http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Topics/International-Health-Policy.aspx .

SEEDIE Submits Meaningful Use Recommendations

Dan Bowman — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:26:50 -0500

SEEDIE, the Society for Exorbitantly Expensive and Difficult to Implement EHRs, has submitted unsolicited recommendations to HHS regarding ARRA guidance and policy around physician incentives for EHR adoption.

"What is meaningful use?" asked executive director Sal Obfuscato at a recent SEEDIE executive retreat in Belize. "We believe the question is the answer, as man has always struggled to find meaning in this world."

This insight led SEEDIE to suggest that certified EHR vendors should embed quotes from well known philosophers in their applications. This approach will prompt physicians and other caregivers to actively seek meaning as they document patient encounters.

"When I am treating a patient, a thought-provoking quote from Jean Paul Sartre or Voltaire is far more valuable than the ability to e-prescribe or adhere to evidence-based guidelines," said Dr. Timothy Farragut, a Vermont pediatrician and SEEDIE board member. "You get so caught up in diagnosing a condition that you forget to ask yourself the important questions - why am I here, what does it all mean, can I still make my tee time?"

These recommendations are part of a SEEDIE effort to be designated as an ARRA certification body. "Unlike certification organizations that focus on subjective functional requirements, our innovative approach to meaningful use is focused on a much deeper meaning of the word meaning," said Obfuscato.

Memorial Hospital at Gulfport Selects Allscripts EHR, Practice Management and Revenue Cycle Management for 100 Physicians

Dan Bowman — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:48:01 -0500

CHICAGO and GULFPORT, Miss., Nov. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Allscripts (Nasdaq: MDRX) announced today that Memorial Hospital at Gulfport has selected the Company's Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Practice Management (PM) solution, with Allscripts Revenue Cycle Management, to enhance the quality of the care delivered by its 100 employed physicians, improve patient communications, and better manage the cost of care delivery.

Memorial Hospital at Gulfport is the largest healthcare provider in the Gulfport , located 70 miles east of New Orleans, is one of the largest healthcare providers on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Among the most comprehensive medical facilities in Mississippi, Memorial is a not-for-profit 445-bed facility with 30 owned physician clinics, a medical staff of 275 physicians and a long history of investing in technology. Memorial is rated a Stage 5 hospital on the HIMSS Adoption scale, placing it in the top 5 percent of US hospitals for the use of information technologies to maximize patient safety.

"Our strategy of sustained investment in IT on the inpatient side has been crucial to becoming a leader in quality, patient safety and patient satisfaction, and we believe Allscripts will help us extend our delivery of high quality healthcare to the outpatient arena," said Richard Ferrans, MD, Vice President and Medical Information Officer of Memorial Hospital.

The Allscripts Electronic Health Record enables Memorial's physicians to instantly access patient information when and where they need it - in the clinic, at the hospital or while on-call at home -- and automates everyday clinical tasks such as prescribing medications, documenting patient visits and obtaining best-practice guidelines for care.

Ferrans said he is excited at the prospect of connecting the Electronic Health Record with the Mississippi Coast Health Information Exchange (MSCHIE) a state program that is focused on enhancing healthcare infrastructure in Gulf Coast counties that were devastated by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Memorial is a founding member of the HIE, which will enable the hospital's physicians to share and access secure, aggregated patient clinical information from IT systems in physician offices, hospitals and other care sites 24 hours a day.

"We believe it's critical to connect our community of physicians to the HIE, to enhance the overall continuity of care, reduce costs, and ensure that up-to-date information is securely available to share between all providers on the Coast," said Ferrans.

Within the Memorial community, the Allscripts Electronic Health Record will give Memorial's physicians a dashboard view of key clinical measures including alerts when lab results and other data indicate a health threat, either to an individual patient or across the entire patient population. "Allscripts will help us understand better the needs of our patients so we can better plan our resources and effective interventions to improve the quality of our care," said Ferrans.

Memorial will provide its physicians with Allscripts Practice Management and Revenue Cycle Management solutions, which are used by thousands of physician groups across the U.S. to process more than 260 million claims annually and 500 million revenue cycle management transactions. The Allscripts Practice Management solution with integrated Revenue Cycle Management combines billing and scheduling with integrated claims, remittance and eligibility capabilities in a single package.

"We want to empower our physicians by giving them the tools they need to run their clinics more effectively and drive greater patient satisfaction," said Ferrans. "From a business perspective, this lets us take 30 different clinics and put them all on a common business platform for scheduling, workflow, and billing, and that will really help the clinics run more efficiently."

Glen Tullman, Chief Executive Officer of Allscripts, commented, "Memorial Hospital has set itself apart as a leader in the Gulf Coast by strategically using information technology to not only automate their own physicians and provide them with better information but also to connect them to the broader community of caregivers for improved health outcomes through the Mississippi Coast Health Information Exchange. By partnering with Allscripts, Memorial is encouraging more widespread and rapid adoption of technologies that will ultimately lead to better care for the Gulf Coast's patients and more productive and informed interactions for physicians."

About Memorial Hospital at Gulfport

Memorial Hospital at Gulfport ranks among the leading medical/surgical facilities in Mississippi. The not-for-profit, 445-bed, multi-specialty health system provides quality care regardless of a patient's ability to pay. Medical specialties include cardiovascular sciences, comprehensive medical rehabilitation, a child and adolescent behavioral health inpatient program, 14 school-based clinics, physician clinics, NICU, and a mobile immunization van. Memorial offers three-dimensional imaging, electronic medical records, a neuroscience center of excellence and advanced surgical techniques, including CyberKnife.® Located just 0.6 miles from the Mississippi coastline, Memorial stood strong during Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. Memorial implemented a well-rehearsed disaster plan before, during and after the storm and was able to provide uninterrupted medical and emergency services.

In September 2007, The Joint Commission certified Memorial as Mississippi's first Primary Stroke Center. This designation means a stroke patient can receive the highest level of stroke treatment available anywhere in the nation. Memorial Inpatient Rehabilitation unit is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) and is a certified Stroke Specialty program.

With more than 2,900 employees and more than 275 highly skilled physicians, Memorial is one of the top 10 employers on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Heading into the future guided by its mission statement "building a healthier community," Memorial remains steadfastly committed to improving patient care at every level - quality and safety, technology and medical expertise.

About Allscripts

Allscripts uses innovation technology to bring health to healthcare. More than 160,000 physicians, 800 hospitals and nearly 8,000 post-acute and homecare organizations utilize Allscripts to improve the health of their patients and their bottom line. The company's award-winning solutions include electronic health records, electronic prescribing, revenue cycle management, practice management, document management, hospital care management, emergency department information systems and homecare automation. Allscripts is the brand name of Allscripts-Misys Healthcare Solutions, Inc. To learn more, visit www.allscripts.com.

InterMed Taps Dimension Data to Support and Implement EMR System, Enhancing Processes, Responsiveness and Patient Care

Dan Bowman — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:44:16 -0500

NEW YORK, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Dimension Data, a $4.5 billion IT services and solutions provider, today announced the implementation, support and integration of InterMed, P.A.'s electronic medical record (EMR) system. For InterMed, a primary and specialty care medical group serving 65,000 patients in southern Maine, the use of EMRs provides improved efficiency -- with patient information, including allergies and medical history, readily available electronically -- as well as enhanced quality of care. In addition, InterMed physicians report that the EMR system has improved accuracy in records, enabled doctors to spend more time with patients and less with documentation, and contributed to a simpler, more accessible consumer healthcare experience.

"The EMR system and the new communication capabilities have given healthcare personnel in the office or working remotely instant access to all patient documentation, to include office notes, lab, imaging and administrative information they might need," said Dr. Dan Loiselle, Internal Medicine, InterMed. "With real-time access to patient appointment information across the entire practice, any cancellations can quickly be replaced, saving the practice both time and money."

To support InterMed's new EMR and practice management system -- which ties together all data on patient visits, billing, staffing, reimbursements and other documentation -- Dimension Data assessed network requirements, selected necessary hardware and software, designed and installed the network, and handled integration. For a successful EMR implementation, it was particularly important that InterMed's data be filtered, accessed and modified quickly, bringing relevant information to medical personnel's computer screens within seconds to ensure usability. By employing high-end load balancers, Dimension Data was able to maximize reliability and throughput, while minimizing time spent receiving and processing information.

"These new technologies have fundamentally changed the way we deliver care to patients," said Dan McCormack, CEO, InterMed. "As our IT needs evolved, Dimension Data has provided valuable assistance and expertise. As a result, doctors and staff have been impressed by the ease-of-use and efficiencies of our new system, and patients are blown away by the support we are now able to provide."

In addition, Dimension Data worked to support InterMed -- and ensure a smooth transition -- as the medical group consolidated four of its dispersed offices into a single location. Dimension Data brought InterMed's collocated network in-house, designed and set up a local area network (LAN) and IP telephony (IPT) infrastructure, and integrated systems for wireless and data storage. The work enabled InterMed to make its final move over three successive weekends, with a seamless reopening in the new office and no downtime incurred.

InterMed also worked with Dimension Data to implement a contact center solution, with Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise (UCCE) and 500 IP-based soft phones. Having a dedicated contact center staff enables InterMed's clinical assistants to focus on patient care, rather than the phone tag that consumed valuable time in the past.

"The impact on clinical effectiveness is striking," McCormack continued. "The comprehensive effect of all of these changes we've made with Dimension Data has made us a more streamlined, efficient and sought-after institution."

Dimension Data also provided Uptime Powered by Cisco Services, a comprehensive support solution that includes defined service level agreements to maximize network uptime and ensure rapid restoration from any outage, access to Dimension Data's Global Service Center, access to Cisco's Technical Assistance Center and a dedicated service delivery manager from Dimension Data who serves as a single point of contact.

"As more organizations look to digitize healthcare, spurred on by the federal government and its economic stimulus package, they should look to InterMed as an example of a successful implementation," said Wes Johnston, chief operating officer, Dimension Data Americas. "Through its EMR system, state-of-the-art infrastructure and new contact center solution, InterMed can support future growth and provide a first-class patient experience. Dimension Data looks forward to continuing its work with InterMed and other healthcare organizations, helping them apply technology to advance patient care, reduce costs and increase overall efficiencies."

Study Lays Foundation for More Patient Access to Medical Records

Dan Bowman — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:41:26 -0500

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - A new study by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine suggests that many patients are dissatisfied with the way they receive results of radiology tests and want more access to information in their medical records, specifically, detailed, lay-language results from those tests.

The study, published today in the November issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology, reports that in general, patients are not happy with the way they receive information about radiology imaging tests, such as MRIs (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), CT (Computed Tomography, or "CAT") scans and ultrasounds, and how long it takes to get results

"Most of the patients in our study were decidedly dissatisfied with how they find out about their radiology test results," said Annette J. Johnson, M.D., M.S., an associate professor of radiology and lead investigator on the study. "Specifically, they were unhappy with the delay before getting results and the lack of detail when they do find out what the tests showed. The classic, most common story we heard was that the patient went to her doctor for a symptom such as pain, was sent for an MRI and then heard nothing until their next regular doctor's appointment. Then, when the patient asked what the MRI showed, her doctor gave a generic answer - ‘Everything was fine.' The patients in our study said that they don't want to hear ‘fine' weeks after the test. They want to know details and they want to know them as soon as the results are in."

For the study, researchers created two focus groups - one comprised of patients who had recently had an MRI with normal results and the other of patients who had recently had an abnormal MRI. A facilitator was brought in to ask the two groups open-ended questions separately about their experiences with the tests, their perceptions about which aspects of radiology information and access to results are important to patients, and what methods of results information access would be preferred by patients. The discussions were audiotaped and transcribed to analyze results.

"Typically, if you need a scan, your doctor sends you to a radiologist to get the test, but you never actually see or speak to the radiologist," Johnson said. "Some time later, commonly a few weeks later, you go back to your regular doctor, who gives you a brief summary of the results. Patients in our study aren't happy with that system. They want their results quickly, in writing, and they want detailed information about the test results in language they can understand."

The majority of participants said they would be interested in a system where they were able to get their radiology results securely online as soon as they were available. They predicted that such a system would give them time before their next doctor's appointment to prepare questions for their doctor, learn about their own condition or disease, and get a jump start on setting up referrals if needed. They believed having access to their own medical records would put them on a more even level with their doctor so that, as patients, they don't have to depend on their doctor to cure their ailments, but rather they can work as a team with their doctors and play an active role in helping themselves.

While some of the study participants expressed concern about getting bad news while alone and not wanting to substitute online access for a follow-up visit with the doctor, they generally were dissatisfied with the current way radiology test results are relayed back to patients and thought the option of accessing results online would be much preferred.

"It's pretty well known that our system of reporting radiology tests could be improved," Johnson said. "Patients aren't happy and evidence is mounting that physicians are also dissatisfied and think that the system for conveying results needs improvement. It's clear from this study that, if you were to try to create a system where patients could look up on their own test results, that system would have to be set up so that the patient has the ability to choose whether or not they want to access detailed results or not. We wouldn't want someone to log into the system to schedule an appointment, for instance, and inadvertently find out, perhaps all alone at home, that the MRI they went for a week ago came back showing a tumor. In addition, if the patient chooses to have online access, the system would have to allow the patient access to full details (if they choose to access them) in layman's terms, not just ‘medical-ease' or a short summary of the test results."

The focus groups also revealed that some patients believe that radiologists are the experts in reading scans and patients want to hear from radiologists more directly, Johnson said.

"In the past, radiologists have been like the undercover agents of medicine," Johnson said. "We supervise the tests and evaluate them but most patients have no idea who we are or that we are the ones reading their scans. We report the findings to the patient's regular doctor, and he or she verbally summarizes the information we conveyed, often providing the patient with very little detail. If we believe the patients in our study are typical, then this is a system that's just not meeting patients' needs anymore."

Co-authors on the study were Doug Easterling, Ph.D., of the School of Medicine, Linda S. Williams, M.D., and Richard M. Frankel, Ph.D., of Indiana University School of Medicine, and Sharon Glover, of Sharon Glover and Associates, Inc.

As a follow up to this patient study, the investigators conducted similar research in a physician population. In that study, radiologists and physicians who use radiological testing often were interviewed in focus groups about the current way radiological tests are reported, what they think could make the system better and how they think patients feel about the existing system. Somewhat surprisingly, Johnson said, physicians are aware that patients aren't satisfied with the way they currently get their results and agree that patients should have more access to their own personal health information. However, physicians were very concerned about the potential negative effects of making radiology results available to patients online. That study is also scheduled to appear in a future issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

Quantros Acquires MediQual from CareFusion Corporation

Dan Bowman — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:44:29 -0500

SAN FRANCISCO - November 5, 2009 - Quantros, Inc., an industry leader in healthcare data management, decision support analytics and prospective point of care data surveillance solutions, today announced the acquisition of MediQual^TM from CareFusion Corporation (NSYE: CFN), a publicly traded company spun off from Cardinal Health earlier this year. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. This latest addition to the Quantros suite of solutions adds clinical data analytics infrastructure for processing and managing expansive datasets and generating analytic profiles for use in decision support and outcomes management. MediQual currently supports clients nationwide in clinical analytics management and reporting efforts. MediQual's clinically-based risk models have been published, validated and nationally recognized by clinicians as critical to providing for more accurate prediction of healthcare outcomes. With years of demonstrated use, the automated clinical models bring efficiency to the generation of accurate comparisons among providers. Quantros has worked closely with the MediQual organization for the past two years as a strategic partner providing the underlying technology powering its Performance Measurement System (PMS) Core Measures solution.

"MediQual has been a valued Quantros partner and its solutions provide significant support and clinical insight for its clients," said Sanjaya Kumar, MD, President and CEO at Quantros. "We are excited about bringing this team and its solutions into the Quantros fold. With increasing national and state level focus on Pay-for-Performance and outcomes management, the need for next generation severity adjusted methodologies such as the MediQual severity adjustment models and solutions to provide integrated decision support become a critical need. The resulting solution enhancements and expanded customer support from this acquisition will benefit both MediQual and Quantros customers."

"Quantros has been a reliable partner for the past two years and its corporate mission and direction are in alignment with the ongoing quality management and analysis needs and requirements of the MediQual clients," said Tom Leonard, president of Dispensing Technologies for CareFusion. "We believe that this business is a good fit for Quantros and the ongoing needs of the MediQual customer base."

Quantros Establishes New East Coast Office in Marlborough, Massachusetts

As part of this acquisition, Quantros will open an office in Marlborough, Massachusetts. Quantros will be expanding its staff throughout the next 12 months and plans to house development, support, professional services and sales and marketing personnel at this location. Quantros is committed to furthering growth in this location and providing added support to its large, east coast base of clients.

"Quantros already has an expansive client footprint on the east coast, beyond those healthcare providers using MediQual solutions," commented Randy Everett, VP of Operations at Quantros. "This new facility will add jobs to the greater Boston area and provide expanded opportunities to better serve the combined Quantros and MediQual client base."

As part of this acquisition Quantros will transition existing MediQual staff into the Quantros team. MediQual brings with it an experienced group of professionals with an intimate knowledge of its clients and clinical analytics solutions. Quantros will look to expand this staff and provide an even greater level of customer involvement as it evaluates enhancements to the Atlas solution.

About Quantros

Quantros is a leading software and services provider for the healthcare industry in the areas of safety and risk management, quality and performance improvement, accreditation and compliance, real-time surveillance and centralized decision support. Today more than 2,000 healthcare facilities use Quantros solutions to improve performance and provide a safe, high quality environment of care.

Quantros is a healthcare information management technology company based in sound clinical discipline. Key product decisions are driven by experts in healthcare quality and performance improvement, safety, compliance, risk management and nursing. Quantros team members include physicians, nurses and healthcare professionals.

Visit Quantros on the web at www.quantros.com.

About CareFusion Corporation

CareFusion (NYSE: CFN) is a global corporation serving the health care industry with products and services that help hospitals measurably improve the safety and quality of care. The company develops market-leading technologies including Alaris® IV pumps, Pyxis® automated dispensing and patient identification systems, AVEA® and Pulmonetic Systems ventilation and respiratory products, ChloraPrep® for infection prevention and MedMined^TM services for infection surveillance, V. Mueller® surgical instruments, and an extensive line of products that support interventional medicine. CareFusion employs more than 15,000 people across its global operations. More information may be found at www.carefusion.com.

U.S. Department of Justice Confirms Large Corporate Owned Hospitals Involved in Illegal Contracting Schemes in McAllen, Texas

Dan Bowman — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:39:27 -0500

(Washington, D.C.) Over the last few months, concern over healthcare costs in McAllen, Texas has been incorrectly aimed by a few in Congress toward physician ownership. However, current federal action in McAllen, Texas has uncovered the real problem - large, corporate hospitals who now owe millions for their illegal contracting schemes.

Last week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that its McAllen, Texas investigation of violations of the "False Claims Act, the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Statute" has resulted in a $27.5 million settlement with Universal Health Services Inc., a company based in Pennsylvania that owns South Texas Health System and other hospitals around the country. [Source: USDOJ 10/30/09]

The one physician owned hospital in McAllen, Texas, Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, was never part of the DOJ investigation and no allegations have ever been brought against the facility.

"Our opposition has attempted to pass the blame to physician owned hospitals for cost concerns brought to light by a June 2009 article published in the New Yorker. As the DOJ settlement demonstrates, that is simply not the case. The problem has never been physician ownership. The real problem lies with big corporate hospital chains," said Molly Sandvig, JD Executive Director of Physician Hospitals of America (PHA).

Despite this and other convincing evidence that points away from physician ownership as a concern, language that attacks physician ownership has been inserted by corporate hospital lobbyists in both the House and Senate versions of health care reform bills.

"Congress is about to be railroaded into punishing innocent physicians who have been trying to bring reform to hospitals by the same type of big hospital corporations that were finally caught in McAllen, Texas," says Sandvig.

The Justice Department announcement specifically noted that the settlement,"...involved allegations that the defendants had entered into financial relationships with several doctors in McAllen in order to induce them to refer patients to the defendants' hospitals. The government alleged that these payments were disguised through a series of sham contracts, including medical directorships and lease agreements."

Sandvig commented that PHA is pleased to see that the real problem has been identified. "We have said for many years that we share concerns about illegal kickback schemes and that enforcement must be targeted to protect Medicare and tax money," commented Sandvig."

"At PHA, the patient and his or her medical needs are our top priority," stated Sandvig. "Therefore, it is truly disheartening to see such inappropriate self-referral stemming from employment incentives created between employed physicians and hospitals systems. We fear the employment relationship leads to this behavior far too often.

HHS Strengthens HIPAA Enforcement

Dan Bowman — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:30:11 -0500

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued an interim final rule with request for comments today to strengthen its enforcement of the rules promulgated under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which was enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, modified the HHS Secretary's authority to impose civil money penalties for violations occurring after Feb. 18, 2009. These HITECH Act revisions significantly increase the penalty amounts the Secretary may impose for violations of the HIPAA rules and encourage prompt corrective action.

Prior to the HITECH Act, the Secretary could not impose a penalty of more than $100 for each violation or $25,000 for all identical violations of the same provision. A covered health care provider, health plan or clearinghouse could also bar the Secretary's imposition of a civil money penalty by demonstrating that it did not know that it violated the HIPAA rules. Section 13410(d) of the HITECH Act strengthened the civil money penalty scheme by establishing tiered ranges of increasing minimum penalty amounts, with a maximum penalty of $1.5 million for all violations of an identical provision. A covered entity can no longer bar the imposition of a civil money penalty for an unknown violation unless it corrects the violation within 30 days of discovery.

The interim final rule with request for comments published today conforms the HIPAA enforcement regulations to these revisions made by the HITECH Act. It may be viewed and commented on at: www.regulations.gov. This rulemaking will become effective on Nov. 30, 2009, and HHS will consider all comments received by Dec. 29, 2009.

"The Department's implementation of these HITECH Act enforcement provisions will strengthen the HIPAA protections and rights related to an individual's health information," said Georgina Verdugo, the director of HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR). OCR is responsible for administering and enforcing HIPAA's privacy, security and breach notification rules.

"This strengthened penalty scheme will encourage health care providers, health plans and other health care entities required to comply with HIPAA to ensure that their compliance programs are effectively designed to prevent, detect and quickly correct violations of the HIPAA rules," said Verdugo. "Such heightened vigilance will give consumers greater confidence in the privacy and security of their health information and in the industry's use of health information technology."

This interim final rule with request for comments is the first of several steps HHS is taking to implement the HITECH Act's enforcement provisions. The remaining provisions, which have yet to become effective, will be addressed in the next few months in forthcoming rulemakings. Additional information about HIPAA and several related rulemakings may be found on OCR's Web site: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/.

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Hospital Value Index Quality Award Recipients Released -- Superior Quality Merit Award recognizes 75 hospitals nationwide

Dan Bowman — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:22:19 -0500

NASHVILLE, Tenn. ‐ Data Advantage, LLC announced today 75 hospitals receiving a Best in Value^TM: Superior Quality Merit Award from the 2009‐2010 Hospital Value Index^TM the first and only national study on U.S. hospitals and the value of care they provide.

The 2009‐2010 Hospital Value Index^TMis an independent analysis of each hospital's performance in the categories of: quality, affordability & efficiency and patient satisfaction. Out of the more than 4,500 hospitals that were analyzed, 75 received the Superior Quality Merit Award for achieving high marks in the quality category.

"This group of hospitals has a proven ability to deliver high quality care, a key element in providing overall value to their communities," said Hal Andrews, CEO of Data Advantage. "Our study suggests that hospitals that achieve outstanding scores in the area of quality will be rewarded in the new world of Value‐Based Purchasing, so each of these hospitals is off to a good start."

The quality category is analyzed using data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Core Measures, AHRQ Patient Safety Indicators, CMS 30‐day mortality scores and CMS reported hospital readmission rates. In order to receive the award, hospitals were first considered as Best in Value^TM or in the top 25 percent of all hospitals in the study. The top 10 percent of this group were then ranked in the quality category in order to receive the Superior Quality Merit Award.

"The Hospital Value Index^TM study found that all hospitals recognized as Best in Value^TM improved their quality scores by an average of 8.14% since March 2009, while those that were not recognized as Best in Value^TM saw a drop in quality by 1.1% during the same term," said John Morrow, a founder of the Hospital Value Index^TM study.

"Quality continues to improve in high value hospitals, and these Merit Award recipients are being recognized for their exceptional quality performance," Morrow added.

In alphabetical order, the Superior Quality Merit Award recipients from the 2009‐2010 Hospital Value Index^TMstudy are:

Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital (Downers Grove, IL)
Alegent Health Immanuel Medical Center (Omaha, NE)
Alegent Health Lakeside Hospital (Omaha, NE)
Alegent Health Mercy Hospital (Council Bluffs, IA)　
Alegent Health Midlands Hospital (Papillion, NE)
Arnot Ogden Medical Center (Elmira, NY)
Aurora Baycare Medical Center (Green Bay, WI)
Ball Memorial Hospital (Muncie, IN)
Baylor Medical Center at Irving (Irving, TX)
Berger Hospital (Circleville, OH)
Berkshire Medical Center (Pittsfield, MA)
Bon Secours-Memorial Regional Medical (Mechanicsville, VA)
Carolinas Medical Center‐University (Charlotte, NC)
Centra Health (Lynchburg, VA)
Clara Maass Medical Center (Belleville, NJ)
Cleveland Clinic Florida (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Community Medical Center (Toms River, NJ)
Cullman Regional Medical Center (Cullman, AL)
Delray Medical Center (Delray Beach, FL)
Evanston Hospital (Evanston, IL)
Flowers Hospital (Dothan, AL)
Forsyth Memorial Hospital (Winston
Fort Madison Community Hospital (Fort Madison, IA)
Fremont Area Medical Center (Fremont, NE)
Gaston Memorial Hospital (Gastonia, NC)
Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center (West Islip, NY)
Goshen General Hospital (Goshen, IN)
Hackensack University Medical Center (Hackensack, NJ)
Hackettstown Regional Medical Center (Hackettstown, NJ)
Harlingen Medical Center (Harlingen, TX)
Heartland Regional Medical Center (Saint Joseph, MO)
Holland Community Hospital (Holland, MI)
Holy Name Hospital (Teaneck, NJ)
Huntington Beach Hospital (Huntington Beach, CA)
Integris Mayes County Medical Center (Pryor, OK)
Jackson Purchase Medical Center (Mayfield, KY)
Kettering Medical Center (Dayton, OH)
Kettering Medical Center‐Sycamore (Miamisburg, OH)
Kingwood Medical Center (Kingwood, TX)
La Palma Intercommunity Hospital (La Palma, CA)
Main Line Hospital Bryn Mawr Campus (Bryn Mawr, PA)
Mariners Hospital (Tavernier, FL)
Meadowview Regional Medical Center (Maysville, KY)
Memorial Hospital Pembroke (Hollywood, FL)
Memorial Regional Hospital (Hollywood, FL)
Mercy Medical Center‐Dubuque (Dubuque, IA)
Mercy San Juan Medical Center (Carmichael, CA)
Minden Medical Center (Minden, LA)
Moberly Regional Medical Center (Moberly, MO)
Munson Medical Center (Traverse City, MI) 　
Newport Hospital (Newport, RI)
North Ottawa Community Hospital (Grand Haven, MI)
Oklahoma Heart Hospital (Oklahoma City, OK)
Owatonna Hospital (Owatonna, MN)
Parkway Medical Center (Decatur, AL)
Peninsula Medical Center (Burlingame, CA)
Presbyterian Hospital (Charlotte, NC)
Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville (Huntersville, NC)
Reid Hospital and Health Care Services (Richmond, IN)
Saint Joseph Hospital London (London, KY)
Saint Joseph Mercy Saline Hospital (Saline, MI)
St. Charles Hospital (Port Jefferson, NY)
St. Luke's Regional Medical Center (Sioux City, IA)
St. Mary's Health Center (Jefferson City, MO)
Summa Health System Barberton Hospital (Barberton, OH)
Sutter Roseville Medical Center (Roseville, CA)
Tawas St. Joseph Hospital (Tawas City, MI)
Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Cleburne (Cleburne, TX)
United Hospital Center (Clarksburg , WV)
Vassar Brothers Medical Center (Poughkeepsie, NY)
Venice Regional Medical Center (Venice, FL)
Walker Baptist Medical Center (Jasper, AL)
Walla Walla General Hospital (Walla Walla, WA)
West Anaheim Medical Center (Anaheim, CA)
Williamsport Hospital and Medical Center (Williamsport, PA)

For more information on the Voices of Value^TMand the Best in Value^TMhospitals, please visit www.HospitalValueIndex.com.

About Data Advantage, LLC

Data Advantage, LLC is a privately held healthcare information company that specializes in providing hospitals and other healthcare ‐related businesses with independent and objective business intelligence. The company has aggregated and compiled a warehouse of the most insightful information about healthcare utilization and maintains comprehensive benchmarks about the financial, operational and clinical performance of the U.S. hospital industry. For more information, visit www.data‐advantage.com or call 866‐996‐3282.

MORE EMPLOYERS TURNING TO UNITEDHEALTHCARE'S DIABETES HEALTH PLAN TO HELP IMPROVE HEALTH, CONTROL COSTS

Dan Bowman — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:13:32 -0500

MINNEAPOLIS - (Nov. 4, 2009) - Employers are signing up for a first-of-its-kind health plan by UnitedHealthcare designed to help control the escalating costs of insuring diabetic and pre-diabetic employees and their families while improving their health.

The Diabetes Health Plan has been piloted in 2009 with three employers - General Electric (NYSE: GE), Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) and Affinia Group. All three have either renewed or expanded their participation in the program for 2010. Employers such as the City of New Orleans and the American Postal Workers Union Health Plan will offer the plan to diabetic and pre-diabetic employees for the first time beginning Jan. 1, 2010.

"One of the best ways to control escalating health care costs is to encourage people to adopt healthier behaviors and take preventive steps. The Diabetes Health Plan is an innovative plan design that goes beyond basic wellness programs and meaningfully engages people based on their individual health needs," said Deneen Vojta, M.D., senior vice president of UnitedHealth Group.

The Diabetes Health Plan goes further than traditional diabetes wellness programs by providing patients with financial rewards for adhering to certain routine preventive care compliance requirements such as having regular blood sugar checks, routine exams and preventive screenings, which can result in better self-management of their care. In addition to helping people live healthier lives, the preventive steps under the Diabetes Health Plan can help significantly lower a diabetic employee's total health care costs, which average more than $22,000 a year, according to UnitedHealthcare data.

"Affinia Group's health care program currently includes a number of health and wellness incentives for our people, and the new Diabetes Health Plan will be an excellent addition to this total program," said Timothy J. Zorn, vice president of Human Resources for Affinia Group. "The educational component of the diabetes plan will be extremely valuable to our people in helping them understand how to take better care of themselves. Removing co-payments for diabetic medications and testing supplies and offering a program of continual follow-up will encourage our people to remain in close compliance with treatment plans prescribed by their doctors."

Plan benefits, which can include some free diabetes supplies and diabetes-related prescription drugs, as well as lower co-payments for related doctor visits, could save individuals up to $500 a year in addition to their regular health care benefits. Employees enrolled in the Diabetes Health Plan who lose their employer-based coverage are still eligible for the plan under COBRA, provided their employer offers it and they continue to follow the plan's compliance requirements.

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), which observes American Diabetes Month this November, one out of every five health care dollars is spent caring for someone with diagnosed diabetes, while one in 10 health care dollars is attributed directly to diabetes. In 2007 nearly 24 million people in the U.S. had diabetes, 24 percent of whom were undiagnosed. Another 57 million are considered pre-diabetic, with about a fourth of them unaware of their condition.

"People respond positively when they understand the link between obesity and diabetes and how the disease progresses. They become more willing to take the simple steps to live a healthier life that can delay or prevent the onslaught of diabetes or associated complications," said Kathryn Anya Kirvan, RN, MS, MBA, vice president of Healthcare Strategies at UnitedHealth Group. "We're finding that once people have the tools and support to make simple changes, the response is phenomenal."

The Diabetes Health Plan at Work

Participation in the Diabetes Health Plan is voluntary. Based on historical claims analysis and biometric screening, UnitedHealthcare plan participants whose employers offer the plan and who are identified with diabetes or pre-diabetes are invited to enroll. Participants can receive access to online monitoring and education tools at no charge, in addition to self-monitoring training and certain diabetes-related services and drugs (i.e. insulin, oral anti-glycemics, ARB and ACE, anti-depressants and statins). To remain in the program, participants must comply with the plan's requirements that are based on diabetes and preventive care evidence-based guidelines tailored to meet the needs of each individual.

Employers can tailor plan benefits to provide incentives to participants for following plan guidelines, such as cash rewards for enrollment or every quarter of compliance, lower deductibles, free or low-cost prescription medications, test meters or other diabetic supplies, and lower co-pays for related doctors visits and diabetes-specific treatments. Plan benefits vary by employer.

The Diabetes Health Plan is available to self-insured commercial health plan customers and their family members with diabetes or pre-diabetes*. Employers have the option of offering the program as a standalone health plan or as an enhancement to an existing traditional plan.

About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare (www.unitedhealthcare.com) provides a full spectrum of consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services to individuals, public sector employers and businesses of all sizes, including more than half of the Fortune 100 companies. The company organizes access to quality, affordable health care services on behalf of more than 25 million individual consumers, contracting directly with more than 600,000 physicians and care professionals and 5,000 hospitals to offer them broad, convenient access to services nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.

# # #

CHRISTUS Health, TX's Revenue Refunding Bonds Assigned 'A+' Rating; Series 2008C-5 Bond Rating Withdrawn

Dan Bowman — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:49:36 -0500

DALLAS Oct. 29, 2009--Standard & Poor's Ratings Services assigned its 'A+' long-term rating to Tarrant County Cultural Educational Facilities Finance Corp., Texas' $73.3 million series 2009C fixed-rate hospital revenue refunding bonds issued for CHRISTUS Health. Standard & Poor's also affirmed its 'A+' underlying rating (SPUR) on CHRISTUS Health's series 2005A-3, A-4, A-5, A-6, B-2, and C-3 bonds (various issuers), which will undergo a mode change to insured or uninsured fixed-rate obligations from insured auction rate bonds. At the same time, Standard & Poor's affirmed its long-term ratings and SPURs on CHRISTUS Health's other rated debt obligations of various series and by various issuers. The outlook on all ratings is stable.

"Factors supporting the ratings include CHRISTUS' strong regional and international profile, and the financial- and geographic-risk dispersion its multiple facilities and markets create for the system overall," said Standard & Poor's credit analyst Karl Propst. "Although we lowered CHRISTUS Health's debt ratings earlier this year, we recognize that management's plan of correction has taken hold and is working well, producing positive operating and excess margins of 2.1% and 9.4%, respectively, as well as much improved debt service coverage and acceptable operating and debt liquidity."

No new money will be issued with the proposed series 2009 bonds. Costs of issuance will be paid from operating funds. Upon issuance of the series 2009C bonds, existing ratings on the system's 2008C-5 bonds will be withdrawn.

CHRISTUS Health was created on Feb. 1, 1999, when it acquired substantially all of the assets of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word of Houston and the Incarnate Word Health System of San Antonio to form one of the largest Catholic health care systems in the U.S. Today, the system includes more than 50 hospitals, long-term-care facilities, and long-term acute-care facilities in more than 60 cities, nine U.S. states, and in Mexico. The system also includes more than 175 clinics, outpatient centers, and physician offices, as well as the Stehlin Foundation for Cancer Research and a managed-care product. Total system assets were $4.4 billion as of Sept. 30, 2009. CHRISTUS is organized into multiple regions, but most of its operations are concentrated in Texas and Louisiana.

RELATED RESEARCH

USPF Criteria: "Not-For-Profit Health Care," June 14, 2007

USPF Criteria: "Debt Derivative Profile Scores," March 27, 2006

Complete ratings information is available to RatingsDirect subscribers at www.ratingsdirect.com. All ratings affected by this rating action can be found on Standard & Poor's public Web site at www.standardandpoors.com; select your preferred country or region, then Ratings in the left navigation bar, followed by Find a Rating.

Media Contact:

David Wargin, New York (1) 212-438-1579, david_wargin@standardandpoors.com

Analyst Contacts:

Karl Propst, Dallas (1) 214-871-1427

Martin D Arrick, New York (1) 212-438-7963

AET's Telemedicine Solution Provides Real-Time Echocardiogram Consult, Saves Costly Transport of Newborn Infant

Dan Bowman — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:02:27 -0500

OMAHA, Neb., Nov. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Telemedicine solution provider AET (American Educational Telecommunications; www.aetmedical.com) completed a first of its kind, real-time remote diagnosis of a newborn baby's heart murmur
between Faith Regional Health Services and Children's Hospital & Medical Center in Norfolk and Omaha, NE, respectively. The diagnosis used advanced wireless video conferencing technology through a mobile camera device
connected to an ultrasound machine. View the video at http://www.aetmedical.net/Video.html ("Live Echocardiogram Diagnosis of Newborn's Heart Defect").

A baby boy was one of triplets recently delivered by Dr. Keith Vrbicky, OB-Gyn at Norfolk-based Midwest Health Partners and an attending physician at Faith Regional Health Services. The baby's pediatrician, Dr. Jayan ('Dr. Jay') Vasudevan, also with Midwest Health Partners, became concerned about an obvious heart murmur of one of triplets while performing a post natal examination. Dr. Jay immediately requested a consult with a pediatric cardiologist to diagnose the severity. The closest pediatric cardiologist was at Children's Hospital & Medical Center, 115 miles from the Norfolk medical facility. The doctors agreed to set up a telemedicine consult utilizing a remote echocardiogram system connected to a mobile and wireless transmitting video conferencing device, rather than immediately transporting the baby to Omaha.

"If the diagnosis could be determined to be a mild defect, it would enable us to keep the family together in Norfolk and immediately eliminate the uncertainty of a potentially harmful heart defect," said Dr. Vrbicky. "Without the telemedicine consult, there was a real possibility that the baby would have had to be transported either via helicopter or ambulance to Omaha at a very high cost."

To perform the remote diagnosis, a Phillips 5500 ultrasound machine at Faith Regional Health Services was connected to a Librestream Onsight 2000R video device through an S-video connection. The video was securely encrypted by way of AET's secured network technology system and streamed live to Dr. Scott
Fletcher, a cardiologist with the University of Nebraska Medical Center/Creighton University Medical Center, Joint Division of Pediatric Cardiology in Omaha. Dr. Fletcher was able to view the ultrasound from
Children's Hospital and provided an immediate confirmation of diagnosis (a mild muscular ventricular sepal defect - not life threatening or lifestyle limiting) to the attending physician, Dr. Jay, in Norfolk.

The telemedicine technology utilized was a result of the combined efforts of AET, their remote wireless device provider, Librestream; Phillips, and the IT support from AET and both hospitals. This was a first of its kind use of the
combined technology. AET was able to set up the secure network infrastructure between Faith Regional Health Services and Children's Hospital within 30 minutes. The resultant diagnosis alleviated the fears of everyone involved,
but particularly the parents of the newborn.

U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief Joins mHealth Alliance

Dan Bowman — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:43:56 -0500

Washington, DC (Vocus/PRWEB ) October 31, 2009 -- The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the largest commitment ever by any nation to combat a single disease, is joining the mHealth Alliance as a founding partner. The partnership was announced by Ambassador Eric Goosby, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, who oversees implementation of PEPFAR, in a keynote address he delivered to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health mHealth Summit conference in Washington, D.C.

"In Africa and around the world, the increasing ubiquity of mobile devices presents an important opportunity to deliver efficiently and rapidly a suite of HIV/AIDS health services, from education and awareness to remote data collection and monitoring, communication and training for health care workers, disease tracking, and diagnostic treatment and support," Goosby said. "We are delighted to join the UN Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and Vodafone Foundation in growing the mHealth Alliance. Our collaboration will leverage the tremendous potential of wireless devices and networks to strengthen prevention and health care, improving patient outcomes."

Dr. Daniel Carucci, Vice President for Global Health at the United Nations Foundation, noted: "This is the latest in a series of strong collaborations between the UN Foundation and PEPFAR. We are already strongly engaged with PEPFAR in the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and in our active Women & Population program dedicated to empowering women and girls."

"The promise of mHealth to extend quality health care to the further reaches of wireless communication can only be delivered with the right partners working together on the ground," said David Aylward, mHealth Alliance Executive Director. "We are delighted to welcome PEPFAR and its network of host country participants to the mHealth Alliance. We look forward to sharing our respective strengths, experiences, methodologies, and resources, to deliver more health for the money, and better health."

PEPFAR's support will expand the overall Alliance program. It will also strengthen country HIV/AIDS programs by introducing mobile technology-enhanced solutions in select host countries, and sharing best practices, including the experiences of the PEPFAR's Phones for Health public-private partnership.

The mHealth Alliance was launched to accelerate and build cross-sector collaboration in delivering on the promise of mobile technology to help meet some of the gravest global health challenges, including reducing child mortality, improving maternal health and combating HIV/AIDS. In addition to cooperative field projects, initial areas of broader Alliance activity include identifying barriers to mHealth deployment, best practices and effective policy frameworks to allow mHealth to contribute to long-term, sustainable and improved health outcomes, and building private sector engagement to reduce the cost and increase the reach and value proposition of mHealth.

About PEPFAR:
The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was launched in 2003 to combat global HIV/AIDS, and is the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in history. Under PEPFAR, the U.S. Government has already committed more than $25 billion to the fight against global HIV/AIDS. As of September 30, 2008, PEPFAR supported life-saving antiretroviral treatment for more than 2.1 million men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS, compassionate care for more than 10 million people affected by HIV/AIDS, including more than 4 million orphans and vulnerable children, and prevention of mother-to-child transmission programs that allowed nearly 240,000 babies to be born HIV-free. For more information, please visit www.PEPFAR.gov, http://twitter.com/uspepfar, or www.facebook.com/PEPFAR.

About the mHealth Alliance:
The mHealth Alliance is dedicated to enabling the delivery of quality healthcare to the farthest reaches of wireless networks in the developing world. Created by the United Nations Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and Vodafone Foundation, the Alliance's mission is to be a catalyst and accelerant, supporting leaders, celebrating successes, creating hard research, filling gaps, making connections, and forging public-private partnerships. More information is available at www.mhealthalliance.org or info (AT) mhealthalliance (DOT) org.

Press Contact:
Adele Waugaman
United Nations Foundation
(o) 202-887-9040, (e) awaugaman (AT) unfoundation (DOT) org

Jennifer Peterson
Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator
(o) 202-663-2708, (e) PetersonJL (AT) state (DOT) gov

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Epocrates Celebrates 10 Years of Innovation

Dan Bowman — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:22:37 -0500

SAN MATEO, Calif.--(Business Wire)-- Epocrates, Inc., a leading developer of mobile clinical decision support software, today celebrated its 10 year anniversary. More than 900,000 medical professionals regularly use Epocrates on a mobile device such as the iPhone, Palm or Blackberry, or via the internet. In the past decade, medical professionals have looked up drug interactions, dosing and formulary information more than 1.2 billion times with Epocrates, which translates into more than 300,000 lookups a day.

"We founded the company ten years ago with a simple goal: to improve the quality of patient care through the power of mobile devices," said Jeff Tangney, president and co-founder of Epocrates."This fundamental objective has led to years of innovation on multiple platforms, adding decision support tools and resources, supporting education at leading universities across the U.S. and being when and where physicians need us most."

A Record of Innovation

* Preventing medical errors and supporting patient care - More than 60 percent of physicians credit Epocrates software with helping them avoid one or more adverse drug events (ADEs) each week, according to a 2009 survey. This translates into more than 150,000 ADEs prevented each week, ranging from a potentially severe or life-threatening medical event to adverse reactions such as nausea and dizziness. Over the years, Epocrates has expanded its product offerings to further support clinicians` point-of-care decisions. The company's
award-winning Epocrates Essentials premium suite provides concise and relevant information from diagnosis to treatment, including thousands of evidence-based disease topics developed in collaboration with the BMJ Group, publisher of the British Medical Journal.

* Keeping physicians informed - Over the years, Epocrates has supported the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other health organizations in keeping physicians informed of breaking medical news and developments. Epocrates has delivered nearly 15 million DocAlert messages sourced by the FDA Medwatch division to clinicians directly on their mobile device. The government recognizes the extensive reach and speed of Epocrates, and seeks assistance in providing alerts on critical topics such as H1N1 updates and time-sensitive drug recall announcements.

* Saving time and money - The convenience of having Epocrates software loaded on a mobile device has been credited in providing physicians with at least 20 extra minutes a day. Rather than leaving the exam room to scour through textbooks, clinicians can reach in their pocket to access this timely clinical information within seconds, including health plan formulary lists. Epocrates is currently working with more than 120 commercial and Medicaid health insurance plan clients as well as hosting all Medicare Part D plans, so clinicians can swiftly check for drug coverage, identify lower cost alternatives and reduce pharmacy callbacks. With electronic formulary hosting, Epocrates has facilitated significant cost savings for the health system, and more importantly for patients.

* Driving device demand - Epocrates has been attributed with building the mobile marketplace in healthcare. Since the introduction of Epocrates` free drug reference in 1999, it has been one of the most popular professional applications for the Palm, Blackberry, Windows Mobile and now iPhone devices. This is largely due to the company`s innovation on these platforms, maximizing the power and capabilities of each device to provide its subscribers with the best possible user experience. Epocrates was the first clinical decision support tool available for Apple`s iPhone device and remains the most popular with more than 125,000 U.S. physicians actively using it. The iPhone quickly became the company`s fastest growing platform with advanced new features and content, such as a pill identifier and full-color disease image library.

As a testament to Epocrates` history of excellence, Aneesh Chopra, U.S. chief technology officer stated in a recent speech, "Many people say that doctors don't like technology, but I don't know a doctor who doesn't use a product called Epocrates. That gives me confidence that if we build better products, they'd use them."

Other physicians agree:

"Epocrates is the single best innovation in bedside patient care," said Dr. S. Leslie Tobias.

"I love Epocrates because it saves lives, plain and simple," said Dr. Ashish Sitapara.

* Building a loyal user base - Epocrates` initial growth was driven by word-of-mouth referrals with 80 percent learning about the software`s availability from a friend or colleague. As the number two most recognized healthcare brand among physicians (second to Microsoft), Epocrates continues to foster its brand loyalty with high-quality products and a commitment to meeting the needs of today`s clinicians. Today, Epocrates is used by more than 250,000 practicing U.S. physicians and more than 450,000 other healthcare professionals, nearly half of which have been using it for more than five years. As a point-of-care reference, Epocrates is fully integrated into these clinicians`
workflow and reportedly called upon six or more times per day.

"With the healthcare industry changing rapidly, and greater change on the horizon, it is important to focus on the essentials - increasing time with patients and enhancing the quality and safety of care delivered," said Rose Crane, chief executive officer of Epocrates. "As the industry leader, we helped define physicians` workflow with access to up-to-date and clinically relevant information. We look forward to new challenges and continuing to develop ways to increase efficiencies in the delivery of information to doctors and improve safety throughout the treatment continuum."

Physicians and other healthcare professionals interested in celebrating the Epocrates 10 year anniversary are invited to Epocrates` San Mateo headquarters on November 4 from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. PST.

View the co-founders story and learn more about Epocrates milestones through the years.

ABOUT EPOCRATES, INC.

Epocrates is a leading provider of clinical information and decision support tools to healthcare professionals. Epocrates currently has more than 900,000 healthcare professionals, including one in three U.S. physicians and 40 percent of medical students, in its active network. The company`s subscription-based services enable healthcare professionals to make more informed medical decisions, reduce medical errors and practice more efficiently. For more
information about Epocrates, please visit www.epocrates.com/company.

All trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

Epocrates, Inc.
Erica Sniad Morgenstern, 650-227-6907
pr@epocrates.com

Coca-Cola Grant Launches AAFP Consumer Alliance Program

Dan Bowman — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:08:10 -0500

The AAFP today announced a corporate partnership with The Coca-Cola Co., in which the beverage giant will provide a grant for the Academy to develop consumer education content related to beverages and sweeteners for the AAFP's award-winning consumer health and wellness Web site, FamilyDoctor.org. The partnership is the first for the AAFP's new Consumer Alliance program.

"The Consumer Alliance program is a way of working with interested companies to develop educational materials to help consumers make informed decisions so they can include the products they love in a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle," said AAFP President-elect Lori Heim, M.D., of Vass, N.C.

The new consumer-oriented beverage and sweetener content is expected to be posted in January on FamilyDoctor.org. The content will address sugar-free alternatives to help patients make better choices.

In addition to creating content for FamilyDoctor.org, the Academy will work with Consumer Alliance partners to develop innovative programs and materials to educate consumers and health professionals about enhancing food and beverage selections, boosting physical activity, achieving emotional well-being, and promoting other aspects of a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

The Consumer Alliance program also will create a new source of funding for AAFP, which, in recent years, has broadened its search for funding outside the pharmaceutical industry.

"We've made a conscious effort to diversify our sources of revenue," Heim said. "This is the first of what we hope will be many Consumer Alliance agreements. We're looking across a broad spectrum. This is just our initial partnership."

That broad spectrum, she said, could include food, lifestyle and apparel products.

Heim said the partnerships will not include an AAFP endorsement of any brand, product or service, and the Academy will maintain editorial control of all materials related to the partnerships.