CHICAGO & SAVANNAH, Ga., Apr 07, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Allscripts Healthcare Solutions (Nasdaq:MDRX), the
leading provider of clinical software, connectivity and information
solutions that physicians use to improve healthcare, announced that
St. Joseph’s/Candler Medical Group (SJCMG), a leading physician group
in Southeast Georgia, will use Allscripts’ TouchWorks(TM) Electronic
Health Record (EHR) to connect the group’s physicians. The Allscripts
solution will enable physicians to automate critical tasks, cut costs
and enhance the quality and efficiency of the care they provide
patients.
The medical group — part of the St. Joseph’s/Candler Health
System, which operates Savannah’s St. Joseph’s Hospital and Candler
Hospital — recently began implementing the Allscripts EHR by
converting all existing patient medical charts into digital format. By
allowing physicians to instantly access patient’s medical records
anywhere at anytime, the new system radically simplifies physician
tasks.
“St. Joseph’s/Candler’s implementation of phase one of the
TouchWorks EHR has gone smoothly, with a remarkable paucity of
problems, and we are already seeing benefits,” said Paul S. Bradley,
MD, who is leading the implementation at SJCMG. “Because our system is
now virtually paperless, we can access old records with a speed that
was unthinkable just weeks ago. Admissions to the hospital have become
remarkably streamlined when the complete clinical record at our
fingertips. This will enable us to connect the physicians in the
community to manage clinical information and healthcare delivery
across the continuum of care.”
The award-winning TouchWorks EHR will interface with outside
laboratories and pharmacies, allowing SJCMG physicians to
electronically prescribe medications, order lab tests, view test
results, and automate other routine tasks, in addition to documenting
clinical encounters. The EHR also offers enhanced patient safety
measures such as automated medical practice guidelines and alerts that
warn physicians of potentially dangerous drug interactions. The new
system also closes the loop on physician referrals by ensuring that
all referrals ordered by SJCMG physicians have been received and
responded to by the specialist. Sixty percent of all malpractice
lawsuits in primary care medicine result from referrals that are not
finalized, leaving patients without the specialty care their physician
requested.
The medical group plans eventually to offer use of the EHR to
other physician groups in the Savannah area. Under the plan, the St.
Joseph’s/Candler hospitals will host the EHR while providing regional
physician groups market-leading functionality at a reduced cost —
leveraging the group’s size to improve the quality of care for the
entire community.
“St Joseph’s/Candler has a remarkable 200-year history of
providing the highest level of care to Southeast Georgia, and their
decision to implement Allscripts’ TouchWorks EHR continues to
differentiate them as the market leader in healthcare innovation and
delivery,” said Glen Tullman, Chief Executive Officer of Allscripts.
“The EHR enables leading organizations like SJCMG to transcend the old
model of paper-based healthcare delivery by speeding critical patient
information across the entire continuum of care. That high level of
connectivity is the missing ingredient needed to transform our
healthcare system and ultimately deliver more cost-effective, quality
care to patients.”
SJCMG will integrate TouchWorks with its existing Groupcast(TM)
practice management solution from IDX Systems Corporation. The
integration of TouchWorks and Groupcast, backed by a 10-year strategic
relationship between the two companies, will directly link clinical
and financial activities and drive operational improvements.
About St. Joseph’s/Candler
St. Joseph’s/Candler of Savannah, Georgia is comprised of St.
Joseph’s Hospital and Candler Hospital, two of the oldest continuously
operating hospitals in the United States. It is the largest healthcare
system in southeast Georgia and the only faith based and locally
managed facility in Savannah. Through groundbreaking innovations in
such services as cardiology, oncology, digestive diseases,
neurosensory disorders, orthopaedics, women’s and children’s services
and diabetes, St. Joseph’s/Candler sets the standards for healthcare
in the region.
About Allscripts
Allscripts Healthcare Solutions is the leading provider of
clinical software, connectivity and information solutions that
physicians use to improve healthcare. The Company’s business groups
provide unique solutions that inform, connect and transform
healthcare. The Clinical Solutions Group’s award-winning clinical
software applications include electronic health record (EHR),
e-prescribing and document imaging solutions. Additionally, Allscripts
provides clinical product education and connectivity solutions for
physicians and patients through its Physicians Interactive(TM) Group
and medication fulfillment services through its Medication Services
Group. Visit Allscripts on the Web at 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 management’s 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 2003 Annual Report on Form 10-K, available through
the web site maintained by the Securities and Exchange Commission at
www.sec.gov.
SOURCE: Allscripts Healthcare Solutions
Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Dan Michelson, 312-506-1317 dan.michelson@allscripts.com or St. Joseph's/Candler Betsy Ray, 912-819-8139 raybet@sjchs.org