BURLINGTON, Vt., and SEATTLE, May 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- More than 200 healthcare executives and industry leaders gathered in Phoenix for the third annual IDX Executive Summit. The three-day event fostered a think-tank environment where innovative executives and thought leaders in the healthcare industry discussed collaborative leadership in healthcare and how state-of- the-art information technology contributes to clinical excellence. Held March 18-20, the summit attracted key executives and clinicians -- CEOs, CIOs and chief medical and nursing officers -- from healthcare provider organizations across the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom.
The focal point of the program was special guest speaker Newt Gingrich, who shared his vision of a 21st Century Intelligent Health System that is individual-centered, knowledge-intense and innovation-rich. “A 21st Century Intelligent Health System would be supported by electronic information-sharing that safeguards each patient’s right to privacy and increases patient safety by giving clinicians swift access to medical information,” Gingrich commented. He described electronic patient records, computerized physician order entry (CPOE), and medication barcoding as the kinds of technology innovations that can help save lives and money now and in the future. He also chaired a roundtable discussion by eight CEOs, chief medical officers and chief nursing officers that focused on advancing the use of information technology in healthcare and addressing the challenges of technology adoption.
Robert Naylor, Chief Executive at IDX customer University College London Hospitals (UCLH), spoke about technology’s central role in improving healthcare services in the U.K. He also discussed clinical IT efforts underway at UCLH, including the role of technology in its state-of-the-art new central London hospital, due to open in 2005.
Presentations also provided in-depth insights on achieving clinical excellence through process change, use of technology, and interdisciplinary collaboration. George H. Labovitz, founder and CEO of Organizational Dynamics, Inc. discussed strategies for balancing and achieving goals for customer satisfaction, operational excellence and financial health -- applying lessons learned from a variety of industries to healthcare. Healthcare industry expert Connie C. Curran, Ed.D., R.N., spoke about the use of a balanced scorecard to measure quality improvements across the healthcare organization.
Two case studies from IDX customer organizations focused on use of clinical information technology to advance patient safety goals. Donny C. Lambeth and Paul LoRusso of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (Winston-Salem, N.C.) presented real-world insights demonstrating the results of a pilot computerized physician order entry (CPOE) program in reducing medical errors and improving the quality of patient care. “By laying the groundwork for CPOE -- having a computerized patient record in place, developing well-designed order sets, and benchmarking the pre-implementation level of adverse drug events -- we were able to overcome initial physician resistance,” Lambeth told the audience. “As a result, we reduced preventable adverse drug events by 67 percent on our pilot unit.”
In a second case study, Frank Sacco and Stanley Marks, M.D. of Memorial Healthcare System (Hollywood, Fla.) discussed their institution’s CHAMPS (Clinicians Having Access to Manage Patient Safety) strategic initiative, which incorporates process change and clinical information technology to advance patient safety and quality of care.
The presentations concluded with a timely and humorous take on current events and Washington politics from keynote speakers James Carville and Mary Matalin.
During the event, many attendees, including Newt Gingrich, also toured the IDX Reality Center, a life-size, interactive hospital simulation showing how the IDX Carecast(TM) clinical information system supports clinical and financial best practices throughout the continuum of care. The IDX Reality Center showcased advanced technologies to benefit patient care and productivity, including biometric devices, barcode charting capabilities, CPOE and use of sophisticated rules and alerts.
“Healthcare is at a tipping point, with growing understanding of how clinical systems can improve patient safety and building momentum for electronic data standards that will make those systems easier to implement,” said IDX CEO James H. Crook, Jr. “This summit provided a unique opportunity for sharing ideas and strategies that will help make fail-safe care a reality.”
About IDX Systems Corporation:
Founded in 1969, IDX Systems Corporation provides information technology solutions to maximize value in the delivery of healthcare, improve the quality of patient service, enhance medical outcomes, and reduce the costs of care. IDX supports these objectives with a broad range of complementary and functionally rich products installed at 3,300 customer sites. Customers include 138,000 physicians who utilize practice management systems to improve patient care and other workflow processes. IDX Systems are installed at:
* 380 integrated delivery networks (IDNs) representing more than 500 hospitals * 175 large group practices with more than 200 physicians * 665 mid-size group practices with less than 200 physicians
The IDX web strategy includes browser technology, e-commerce and web-based tools -- built using Internet architecture -- that facilitate access for patients, physicians and care providers to vital health information and data managed by the IDX clinical, administrative, financial, and managed care products. IDX has approximately 2,100 full-time employees worldwide.
About Carecast
Carecast is a fully integrated clinical, financial and administrative system, combining core clinical processes for orders, results, pharmacy and clinical documentation with administrative and financial processes for scheduling, registration, admitting, charging and billing. Representing the next generation of electronic clinical information solutions, Carecast delivers unsurpassed response time and reliability to support fast-paced clinical environments. The system automates workflow throughout the healthcare enterprise and enables rapid access to patient records across the care continuum, from admission to discharge, including inpatient and ambulatory care. The result is a comprehensive lifetime patient record that enhances the quality of care and promotes operational efficiencies.
Developed by and for providers -- in collaboration with leading hospitals, clinicians and healthcare executives -- Carecast builds on 25 years of innovation with the IDX LastWord enterprise system. Customers include leading healthcare organizations in the U.S., Canada and Europe.
IDX, Carecast and LastWord are registered trademarks or trademarks of IDX Investment Corporation.
This press release contains forward-looking statements about IDX Systems Corporation that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are uncertainties or difficulties in developing new services, including Carecast, possible failure of IDX to realize the benefits of developing clinical guidelines, difficulties in implementing systems, possible deferral, delay or cancellation by customers of computer system or service purchase decisions, possible delay of system installations and service implementations, development by competitors of new or superior technologies, changing economic, political and regulatory influences on the healthcare and e-Commerce industries, possible disruptions in the national economy caused by terrorist activities and foreign conflicts, changes in product pricing policies, governmental regulation of IDX’s software and operations, the possibility of product-related liabilities, and factors detailed from time to time in IDX’s periodic reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which important factors are incorporated herein by reference. IDX undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events, or changes in future operating results, financial condition or business over time.
For more information contact: Margo Happer Director, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications IDX Systems Corporation 802.864.1758 X6169 Margo_Happer@idx.com Robert Stirewalt IDX Media Relations 802.864.1758, ext. 6933 Robert_Stirewalt@idx.com Jamie Gier Media Relations IDX Carecast 206.689.1129 Jamie_Gier@idx.com
IDX Systems Corporation
CONTACT: Margo Happer, Director, Investor Relations and CorporateCommunications, +1-802-864-1758 ext. 6169, Margo_Happer@idx.com, or RobertStirewalt, IDX Media Relations, +1-802-864-1758, ext. 6933,Robert_Stirewalt@idx.com, both of IDX Systems Corporation; or Jamie Gier,Media Relations of IDX Carecast, +1-206-689-1129, Jamie_Gier@idx.com
Web site: http://www.idx.com/
