PHILADELPHIA and CHICAGO, Apr 24, 2002 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ —
Association of 115,000 Internal Medicine Physicians Brings PIER Resources To TouchWorks Customers via Handheld Devices
Allscripts Healthcare Solutions (Nasdaq: MDRX), the leading provider of
point-of-care decision support tools for physicians, today announced a
multi-year agreement with the American College of Physicians — American Society
of Internal Medicine (ACP-ASIM) to incorporate their proprietary evidence-based
application, PIER(TM) (Physicians’ Information and Education Resource), into
Allscripts TouchWorks(TM) clinical software solutions. With this collaborative
offering, the two organizations will bring to market the first application to
provide evidence-based medicine (EBM) decision support to physicians at the
point of care via handheld devices.
PIER, the new clinical decision support tool from ACP-ASIM, provides
evidence-based guidance on the diagnosis and treatment of disease as well as
links to clinical articles and patient information. PIER guidance statements are
developed by physician experts based on a rigorous review of current medical
evidence. All content is then thoroughly peer-reviewed by physicians. To date,
the PIER content development process has involved more than 500 physician
writers and reviewers. PIER currently contains 125 disease modules and is
expected to grow to beyond 300 modules within the next 18 months.
Evidence-based medicine has become increasingly important in today’s medical
profession to ensure that best medical practice is based on sound scientific
evidence. With the rapid advances in medical research, PIER and TouchWorks will
provide physicians a way to access guidance they can act on, based on the best
medical evidence, during patient interactions.
“We chose Allscripts as our handheld partner because their organization shares
our belief that the right information at the point of care will assist
physicians in making the best decisions for their patients and will help improve
the overall quality of patient care,” stated Walter J. McDonald, MD, FACP,
Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of ACP-ASIM. “While PIER is
available to ACP-ASIM members as a stand-alone Internet version, PIER was
designed from the outset to be integrated into handheld clinical applications
like TouchWorks so that evidence-based medicine information can be delivered
directly into the hands of physicians during patient encounters.”
Allscripts will integrate PIER into the functionality of their TouchWorks mobile
and modular clinical applications. For example, physicians using TouchWorks can
instantly access drug reference information, formularies, and drug interactions
while writing an electronic prescription, a feature referred to by Allscripts as
Just Right, Just-in-Time Information(R). Integration with PIER will take this
concept to an unprecedented new level, enabling clinicians to automatically
access evidence-based guidance to create the best care plan for their patients.
“Allscripts is excited about partnering with ACP-ASIM as we explore the best
ways to leverage technology and bring valuable information into the clinical
care process,” said Glen Tullman, Chief Executive Officer of Allscripts
Healthcare Solutions. “Our efforts with PIER will bring the latest and most
appropriate clinical information to physicians when and where they need it most
and more rapidly than ever before.”
“Physicians may have as many as 12 unanswered clinical questions daily,”
commented J. Peter Geerlofs, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Allscripts
Healthcare Solutions. “We believe PIER, integrated with our wireless handheld
prescribing and care planning tools, will be an important breakthrough for
safety and quality in healthcare.”
Nearly 80% of physicians surveyed as part of a 2001 beta test of 1038 physicians
indicated that they were “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the quality and
readability of the PIER content. Those physicians surveyed also indicated that
PIER would be most useful as part of daily patient care and that the PIER
guidance statements and specific recommendations, such as those that will be
incorporated into TouchWorks, provided physicians the greatest utility.
PIER(TM) can be accessed for previewing at
http://pierpr:hello22@pier.acponline.org/index.html .
About American College of Physicians – American Society of
Internal Medicine
The American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine
(ACP-ASIM) is the nation’s largest medical specialty organization and
second-largest physician group. Its membership comprises more than 115,000
internal medicine physicians and medical students. Internists are specialists in
the prevention, detection and treatment of illnesses that primarily affect
adults. ACP-ASIM is dedicated to the advancement of internal medicine so that
its members can provide the best quality care for their patients. A nonprofit
organization based in Philadelphia, its mission is to enhance the quality and
effectiveness of health care by fostering excellence and professionalism in the
practice of medicine.
PIER is a trademark of ACP-ASIM. Visit ACP-ASIM on the Web at
http://www.acponline.org .
About Allscripts Healthcare Solutions
Allscripts Healthcare Solutions is the leading provider of point-of-care
decision support solutions for physicians. The Company’s TouchWorks software
products enhance physician productivity using a wireless handheld device or
desktop workstation to automate the most common physician activities including
prescribing, capturing charges, dictating, ordering labs and viewing results,
providing patient education, and taking clinical notes. The Company also
provides medication fulfillment services. Additionally, Allscripts provides
patient compliance and healthcare product education services for physicians
through its Physicians Interactive unit. Allscripts provides services to over
20,000 physicians across the U.S.
Strategic partners include IDX Systems (Nasdaq: IDXC); IMS Health (NYSE: RX);
Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT); Compaq (NYSE: CPQ); Express Scripts (Nasdaq: ESRX);
and Merck-Medco.
TouchWorks is a trademark of Allscripts Healthcare Solutions. Just Right,
Just-in-Time Information is a registered trademark of Allscripts Healthcare
Solutions. Visit Allscripts on the Web at https://www.allscripts.com .
This announcement may contain forward-looking statements about Allscripts
Healthcare Solutions that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements are
developed by combining currently available information with Allscripts beliefs
and assumptions. Forward-looking statements do not guarantee future performance.
Because Allscripts cannot predict all of the risks and uncertainties that may
affect it, or control the ones it does predict, Allscripts’ actual results may
be materially different from the results expressed in its forward-looking
statements. For a more complete discussion of the risks, uncertainties and
assumptions that may affect Allscripts see the Company’s 2001 Annual Report on
Form 10-K, available through the Web site maintained by the Securities and
Exchange Commission at http://www.sec.gov .
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SOURCE Allscripts Healthcare Solutions
CONTACT: Dan Michelson, Vice President of Marketing of
Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, +1-800-654-0889, ext. 4330,
or dan.michelson@allscripts.com; or Allison Ewing, Director, Communications of
American College of Physicians — American Society of Internal Medicine,
+1-215-351-2649, or aewing@mail.acponline.orgURL: https://www.allscripts.com
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