NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- From the floor of the 2007 HIMSS Annual Conference and Exhibition, Allscripts , the leading provider of clinical software, connectivity and information solutions that physicians use to improve healthcare, announced today that Louisiana State University Healthcare Network (LSUHN) has selected the TouchWorks(TM) Electronic Health Record (EHR) to automate and connect its more than 500 physicians and transform healthcare in the region.
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In a broad-ranging response to the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina, which destroyed over 250,000 of LSUHN's medical charts and displaced thousands of its patients and providers, LSUHN will deploy the Electronic Health Record in their own clinics across Southeast Louisiana. The physician group also will lead the deployment of a free, web-based electronic prescribing to all physicians in the state as the regional sponsor of the National ePrescribing Patient Safety Initiative(SM) (NEPSI(SM)), a coalition of technology and healthcare companies led by Allscripts and Dell.
"LSU Healthcare, in partnership with Allscripts, is helping to rebuild Louisiana healthcare by providing our patients -- and patients across the state -- with the safest, highest quality care available anywhere," said Frank Opelka, MD, Chief Executive Officer of LSUHN and Associate Dean for both Clinical Affairs and Healthcare Quality and Safety at Louisiana State University Medical School. "Having these tools in place when Katrina hit would have put life-saving information at the fingertips of providers across the country who found themselves treating tens of thousands of evacuees with no idea what medications they were on or what their medical history was. With our NEPSI electronic prescribing initiative, the technology is now free to every physician in the state, so there is no longer any reason why a patient's medication history should not be available at all times, even after disaster strikes."
LSUHN is a multi-specialty physician practice comprised of faculty members of the LSU Health Sciences Center and LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans. As the physician staff of the primary "safety net" clinics in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette, LSUHN serves the neediest patients in Southeast Louisiana, the region hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina.
The TouchWorks Electronic Health Record (http://www.allscripts.com/touchworks) brings LSUHN's physicians instant access to patient information when and where they need it -- in the clinic, at the hospital, or while on-call at home. To further address global access to patient information, TouchWorks iHealth provides LSUHN's patients with a secure, online Personal Health Record and patient-provider communications from Medem. LSUHN plans eventually to offer TouchWorks to hundreds more physicians across Southeast Louisiana for enhanced connectivity and quality of care.
"LSU Healthcare Network's longstanding commitment to providing high- quality and affordable care to the people of Southeast Louisiana is demonstrated by their decision to take a leadership role in rebuilding the state's healthcare infrastructure," said Glen Tullman, Chief Executive Officer of Allscripts. "Our Electronic Health Record will help LSUHN's physicians deliver more coordinated care across all delivery sites, with enhanced decision support, improved quality and greater safety."
Mr. Tullman and Dr. Opelka are the co-chairs of NEPSI, which is sponsored by Dell, Aetna, Cisco Systems, Fujitsu, Microsoft, Sprint Nextel, SureScripts, Wellpoint and Wolters Kluwer Health, as well as Horizon BCBS of New Jersey and 12 regional medical organizations across the U.S. Google provides the specialized search capabilities of the product.
The story of LSUHN's recovery from Katrina will be featured in a video during the HIMSS keynote address today by Steve Ballmer, Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft Corp. "We applaud the efforts of LSU Healthcare to lead the rebuilding and transformation of patient care in New Orleans through the use of information technology," said Steve Aylward, General Manager of Microsoft's U.S. Healthcare and Life Sciences Group. "Allscripts has clearly established itself as the national leader in providing innovative software and process solutions to inform and connect physicians using Microsoft's most advanced technologies."
James Coffin, M.D., General Manager of Healthcare for Dell -- a technology provider for LSUHN's EHR program and the national sponsor of NEPSI -- commented, "The technology infrastructure at LSU Healthcare Network is a fundamental part of New Orleans' rebuilding effort. Dell is proud to be a part of this important initiative to enhance the quality and continuity of care for patients throughout the Gulf Coast region."
Working side by side with Allscripts and LSUHN, implementation specialists from Global Works Systems, Inc. -- an Allscripts partner -- brought LSUHN's first physicians live on TouchWorks in just one month. Thanks to the quick deployment of the Electronic Health Record, LSUHN patients are already reaping the benefits of enhanced quality of care and patient safety.
About LSU Healthcare Network
The LSU Healthcare Network is a team of over 500 physicians and 130 employees that has provided leading edge health services throughout Southeast Louisiana since its founding in 1995. LSUHN's mission is to provide patients with the highest quality, comprehensive medical care through a compassionate, professional and patient-focused healthcare team that is committed to academic excellence. LSUHN faculty have distinguished themselves through research and innovation in Ophthalmology with LASIK surgery, Neurosciences, Level I Trauma Care, Oncology with the Neuroendocrine Tumor Program, and Pediatric Excellence. LSUHN's physicians were among the first to return to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and they continue to play an integral role in rebuilding the healthcare delivery system in the region.
About Allscripts
Allscripts 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 software applications include electronic health record, practice management, electronic prescribing, document imaging, emergency department and care management 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. To learn more, visit Allscripts on the Web at http://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 2005 Annual Report on Form 10-K, available through the Web site maintained by the Securities and Exchange Commission at http://www.sec.gov/.
