VERNON HILLS, Ill. – July 23, 2007 – CDW Healthcare, part of the public sector subsidiary of CDW Corporation (NASDAQ:CDWC), and a leading provider of technology products and services to healthcare organizations, today announced that Rush University Medical Center of Chicago, Ill., has launched the initial phase of an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system enabled through hardware technology purchased, configured and deployed through CDW Healthcare. The implementation marks the first of a three-phase effort to enhance patient safety, improve patient satisfaction and transform the Medical Center into a completely paperless environment.
Rush University Medical Center is an academic medical facility that encompasses a 613-bed hospital serving adults and children, the 61-bed Johnston R. Bowman Health Center and Rush University. Rush University is also home to one of the first medical colleges in the Midwest and one of the nation’s top-ranked nursing colleges.
CDW Healthcare technology specialists worked closely with the medical center’s IT department to build, configure and test a customized mobile computing solution that brings Rush’s EHR system to medical professionals at the bedside. CDW Healthcare equipped 370 specialized mobile computing carts with wireless-capable thin client computers and barcode scanners for reading patient wristbands and medication labels. The cart solution supports the medical center’s EHR system and variety of related clinical applications, including computerized practitioner order entry (CPOE), clinical documentation, med administration, billing, admission/discharge and many other critical hospital functions.
“EHR systems are critical to healthcare providers’ efforts to improve the quality and speed of healthcare and reduce the chance of medical errors,†said Bob Rossi, general manager for CDW Healthcare. “CDW Healthcare is pleased to leverage our wide array of product offerings and our technology specialists’ expansive knowledge to help Rush University Medical Center support its EHR implementation through a customized mobile cart and infrastructure solution.â€
The EHR solution infrastructure is deployed throughout every patient care area, including the medical center’s emergency department and surgical suites as well as registration stations in the larger hospital and adjoining Bowman Health Center. The first phase of the EHR implementation, which is focused primarily on inpatient processes, will enable physicians to electronically enter, track and retrieve the documentation of care. Future plans include the implementation of paperless processing in Rush’s outpatient and physician office environments.
The deployment of hundreds of mobile carts presented a significant challenge to the medical center, which lacked the necessary resources to configure and space to store all of the units simultaneously prior to their assignment. Realizing they would need to gradually phase in the carts over an extended period of time, the medical center utilized CDW Healthcare’s “buy and hold†capabilities. CDW Healthcare deployed the carts in small sets over the course of 15 weeks, preventing the medical center from being overwhelmed by a single, large shipment.
“Like other large-scale transformation projects, our EHR project presented a number of challenges, ranging from user adoption of new processes and technology to the sheer number and size of the infrastructure changes required to support the EHR,†said Jim Kearns, vice president of IT operations for Rush University Medical Center. “CDW Healthcare’s abilities to assemble, test and phase in the mobile carts were critical to my team’s ability to deliver the project on schedule and on budget. The carts were a critical ingredient needed to bring electronic documentation to the patient beside quickly and efficiently.â€
About Rush University Medical Center
In 2004, Rush University Medical Center revealed its plans for the most comprehensive construction and facilities renovation program in its history. Dubbed “The Rush Transformation,†the program encompasses Rush’s plans to invest in new technology, build new facilities and improve patient care processes, while at the same time reorienting the entire physical campus around patients and their families. Designing and implementing major new technology simultaneously with the facilities transformation provides unparallel opportunities to improve the patient experience, the quality of care and staff productivity.
In addition to hospital facilities, Rush University, with more than 1,270 students, is home to one of the first medical schools in the Midwest, and one of the nation’s top-ranked nursing colleges. Rush University also offers graduate programs in allied health and the basic sciences. Rush is noted for bringing together clinical care and research to address major health problems, including arthritis and orthopaedic disorders, cancer, heart disease, mental illness, neurological disorders and diseases associated with aging.
For further information about Rush University Medical Center visit www.rush.edu.
About CDW Healthcare
CDW Healthcare, part of the public sector subsidiary of CDW Corporation (NASDAQ:CDWC), is a leading provider of technology products and services focused exclusively on healthcare organizations. Working in partnership with customers ranging from small rural providers to large and complex integrated delivery networks, CDW Healthcare responds with a sense of urgency to customer technology needs, delivering best-in-class solutions from top-name brands such as IBM, HP, Cisco, Microsoft, Planar, EMC, Fujitsu, Symantec, Motion, Lenovo, Xerox and Lexmark. CDW Healthcare account management teams build strong customer relationships by responding to customer IT infrastructure requirements with in-depth advice, technical expertise and the best technology that the industry has to offer.
For more information about CDW Healthcare offerings, procurement options, services and solutions, call 1.800.410.4239, or visit the CDW Healthcare Web site at http://www.cdw.com/healthcare.
Where You Can Find Additional Information
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