A Medical Device Daily

Eisenhower Medical Center (Ranchero Mirage, California) reported that it has selected McKesson (San Francisco) for deployment of the Horizon Clinicals solutions suite, as well as automation technologies.

Under a $14.8 million contract, Eisenhower will use McKesson information technology for patient care documentation, closed-loop medication administration and deployment of electronic health records (EHRs) within the hospital and with affiliated physicians.

The focus on medication safety will leverage Eisenhower’s partnership with McKesson for pharmaceutical supply management. Deploying Horizon Clinicals will enable Eisenhower to automate how it stocks, dispenses and manages medications — from McKesson’s pharmaceutical distribution center to the patient bedside — in support of an end-to-end medication supply chain, Eisenhower said.

Eisenhower will begin the initiative by upgrading its technology infrastructure and implementing the Horizon Care Record repository solution as the foundation for EHRs. Rollout of McKesson’s clinical documentation tools will follow, enabling caregivers to electronically document care and simultaneously access patient information for a seamless workflow.

To address patient safety strategy, McKesson’s centralized pharmacy information system will enable pharmacists to electronically receive, verify and send medication orders within the hospital. Another technology solution, the Horizon Admin-Rx medication administration system, will deliver handheld, bar-code scanning devices to prompt nurses to check for the five rights of medication safety — right patient, right drug, right dose, right time and right route. Caregivers will be able to chart care at the bedside, while reviewing the most current information and clinical data available in the patient’s electronic chart, according to the company.

Rounding out a first phase, McKesson’s laboratory radiology, mobile care rounding and emergency department (ED) solutions will support the ongoing ED expansion and enhance interdepartmental communication and workflow. If a patient is admitted, the electronic record begun in the ED will continue though the inpatient stay, enabling safer care and eliminating redundant testing and questioning.

Eisenhower also has bought the Horizon Ambulatory Care EHR solution suite to support automation and enhanced information exchange with its physician offices.

Eisenhower’s campus includes the 253-bed Eisenhower Hospital, the Betty Ford Center at Eisenhower, the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center at Eisenhower, and the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences at Eisenhower.

In other contracts news:

The National Children’s Study has issued a request for proposals to award contracts to up to 20 new study centers. These centers will manage operations in up to 30 U.S. communities to examine the effects of environmental influences on human health and development. It will enroll more than 100,000 infants across the U.S. and following them from before birth until age 21.

The request for proposals is a step in implementing the study, which began in 2005 with the awarding of contracts to seven initial, or Vanguard, centers in seven U.S. communities.

The study is led by a consortium of federal agencies: the Department of Health and Human Services — including the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences at the NIH, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta) — and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Study researchers hope to gain insight into the genesis of various issues, including: birth defects and pregnancy-related problems, injuries, asthma, obesity and diabetes, as well as behavior, learning, and mental health. The study will examine environmental factors such as: air, water and house dust; what children eat; how they are cared for; the safety of their neighborhoods; and how often they see a doctor. Findings will provide the basis for disease prevention strategies, health and safety guidelines and potential new treatments.

It said contracts will go to medical research organizations based on the quality of their proposals and geographic proximity to the study communities.

The National Children’s Study has received an appropriation of $69 million from Congress for FY07 to support its implementation. It was authorized by the Children’s Health Act of 2000, a directive from Congress to undertake a national, long-term study of children’s health and development in relation to environmental exposures.