LENEXA, Kan., June 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Mediware Information Systems, Inc. , a leader in Clinical Information and Patient Safety software management solutions, announced that its new computerized Clinician Order Entry system, tradenamed MediCOE(TM), has been installed on six floors at two hospitals operated by Capital Health, Trenton NJ. The two hospitals, Mercer Medical Center and Helene Fuld Medical Center, have a total of 589 beds.
MediCOE enables physicians/clinicians to enter orders electronically within the facility, or it can also be used off-site via web-based connectivity. Those electronic orders are then integrated with the WORx Pharmacy system for review and verification. The orders become part of the patient’s medical profile which includes laboratory, prescription, and allergy information.
Mr. Gene Grochala, CIO at Capital commented, “The MediCOE product gives us the ability to put prescribers directly online and send orders electronically to our Mediware WORx(R) pharmacy management system. We expect this to improve our delivery systems and enhance patient safety. We are very pleased with the functionality of the MediCOE product and we are even more pleased with the implementation process. We were able to get MediCOE installed and operational, with doctors entering orders, in a very short time. The fact that this is an integrated medication management system, eliminating the need for interfaces, allowed us to move ahead quickly and ultimately led to the success of this project. .”
“We’re delighted Capital Health is among the first providers to go live with our new MediCOE product. Our strong partnership with Capital coupled with their commitment to patient safety, ensured the success of this project,” said Michael Crabtree, president of Mediware’s Worldwide Pharmacy Division.
MediCOE immediately alerts physicians to adverse effects that may occur due to patient allergies, drug/drug interactions, improper dose amounts, improper laboratory values, etc. These alerts will assist the physician in making critical medication decisions that will positively affect patient safety.
According to Doctor Karabulut, president of the medical staff at Capital, “The MediCOE product is providing us the clinical information we need, at the time of ordering, that will assist us in making the appropriate decisions regarding a patients medication regimen. This information will allow physicians to continue their efforts to improve overall patient safety through better medication management. MediCOE is easy to use and is extremely flexible, allowing a physician to perform their normal ordering tasks efficiently.”
As Mediware’s latest solution to address easy and efficient management of pharmacy information, MediCOE provides fast, secure access to the information stored on a hospital’s Mediware WORx database through thin client technology. It lends itself to rapid installation as there is no need for an orders interface between MediCOE and the WORx Pharmacy system.
MediCOE is one of two new Mediware products (the other is MediMAR(TM) for Medication Administration Record) that, when used together, turn the company’s highly regarded WORx pharmacy product into a fully integrated closed-loop medication management system
MediMAR adds bedside dispensing controls and record-keeping to what many consider to already be the industry’s most robust pharmacy management system. It utilizes a wireless hand-held bedside scanner that enables the nurse to confirm patient identity and ensure administration of the proper medication at the proper time.
Mediware’s MediMAR hand-held scanner and keyboard connects wirelessly via radio frequency technology to the hospital’s central WORx database. By scanning their own IDs, the patient’s ID, and the medicine label, nurses can instantly create a complete electronic record of a medication event. Alerts are sounded if the WORx database detects any irregularities such as drug-patient mismatch, an outdated prescription, or a potential overmedication.
Mediware’s WORx system and the new MediCOE and MediMAR products were designed to provide healthcare facilities with technology to help reduce or eliminate the roughly 98,0000 deaths due to medication errors that are estimated to occur each year in the US, costing healthcare providers an estimated $150 billion annually in litigation and other costs. A recent study by the non-profit eHealth Initiative on electronic prescribing identified an additional $29 billion of health systems savings that could be realized through adoption of automated technology.
Alerts provided by the WORx system include: patient allergies, unusual daily dose, drug duplication, drug/drug interactions, and custom criteria. The system allows monitoring of critical patient information, and viewing and printing of data including: patient dosing, drug interactions, allergies and patient monographs. Users can search the worldwide web for additional diagnosis or allergy information.
A full listing of WORx’s features is available at http://www.mediware.com/.
Mediware provides clinical information systems for hospitals and integrated healthcare delivery systems. Its products include HEMOCARE LifeLine(TM), Hemocare(R), LifeLine(R), LifeTrak(R), and HCLL(TM) (blood bank), WORx(R), MediMAR(TM), MediCOE(TM), Pharmakon(R), and Digimedics(TM) (pharmacy), Surgiware(TM), and Perioperative Solutions(TM) (operating room), as well as the JAC Stock Control System (pharmacy) in the United Kingdom. Mediware has over 1,100 systems installed in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and elsewhere.
Certain statements in this press release may constitute “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as the same may be amended from time to time (the “Act”) and in releases made by the SEC from time to time. Such forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2003, which may cause the actual results of the Company to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any obligation to update its forward-looking statements.
Contact: George Barry Thomas Redington 913/307-1000 203/222-7399 http://www.mediware.com/ 212/926-1733 http://www.redingtoninc.com/
Mediware Information Systems, Inc.
CONTACT: George Barry of Mediware Information Systems, Inc.,+1-913-307-1000; or Thomas Redington of Redington, Inc., +1-203-222-7399,+1-212-926-1733, for Mediware Information Systems, Inc.
Web site: http://www.mediware.com/
