UCLA Health System Selects IBM to Help Improve Patient Care Through Instant Access to Electronic Medical Files

ARMONK, N.Y. - 26 Oct. 2009: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that it is putting critical patient information in the hands of University of California, Los Angeles Health System physicians and medical staff through its clinical portal and electronic patient records repository, which improves patient care by providing up-to-date patient information to 6,000 doctors for more accurate diagnosis and treatment of patients.

Managing enormous quantities of data across a network of doctors and clinicians has been an ongoing challenge for the UCLA Health System. The Southern California medical facility relies heavily on electronic medical records to provide care to more than 10,000 patients each month. Gaining instantaneous access to patient information is especially important at times of peak demand such as flu season or California's wildfires, which have led to increased injuries and respiratory illnesses.

By using electronic medical records, patients can walk into their doctor's office with a medical record number, and their personal information and medical history is pre-registered within the system. Medical staff in the three major hospitals and affiliated clinics around the southern California can retrieve records quickly, reducing paperwork and streamlining processes for patients and hospital administrators.

Using IBM technology, UCLA Health System has already processed more than 40 million documents in more than 800 disparate file formats for millions of patients, with retrieval times of three seconds or less.

"We are able to add new patient information including test results into our electronic medical records system to improve the accuracy of diagnosis," said Charles Wang, Ph.D, Architect Director at UCLA Health Systems. "Physicians can now access patient information in a few seconds including medical history, diagnostic images and handwritten doctors' notes allowing us to provide the highest quality patient care."

UCLA Health System has gradually been making the move toward electronic patient records since 2002, its next steps are to re-architect its Image Capture Access and Process system to decrease the amount of time it takes to integrate for x-rays and hand-written notes.

"With smarter health care, hospitals can tap into new insight from technology and put it in the hands of caregivers who can make a difference. UCLA Health System is building a comprehensive electronic patient records system so its staff and medical centers can gain new insight into the patients they serve," said Dan Pelino, general manager, IBM Health Care and Life Sciences.

IBM is creating a smarter, more connected healthcare system that delivers better care with fewer mistakes, predicts and prevents diseases, and empowers people to make better choices. This includes integrating data so doctors, patients and insurers can share information seamlessly and efficiently. IBM also helps clients apply advanced analytics to improve medical research, diagnosis and treatment in order to improve patient care and help reduce healthcare costs.

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