IDXC Idx Systems (MM)

Technology activation marks latest milestone in Canadian provider's use of clinical IT to promote patient safety, clinician efficiency BURLINGTON, Vt., Aug. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) today announced it has successfully completed its upgrade to the IDX(R) Carecast(TM) enterprise clinical system from IDX Systems Corporation (NASDAQ:IDXC) at four of its facilities, marking the first activation of Carecast in Canada. VCH is one of the largest academic health authorities in Canada and a nine-year IDX customer. News of the activation follows the announcement of another international "first" for Carecast: a first activation in the United Kingdom at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on June 20. VCH will use Carecast's integrated clinical and administrative functionality to improve patient safety, streamline care delivery, and support its ongoing expansion of lifetime electronic medical records. The Carecast upgrade is the latest milestone in IDX's track record of adapting its clinical and administrative IT systems for the Canadian healthcare system. "For nearly a decade, we've counted on IDX as a trusted partner in our commitment to improving the health of the communities we serve, and enhancing the quality and standardization of care delivery across facilities," said Greg Feltmate, Chief Information Officer. "IDX has consistently shown its commitment to meeting the needs of Canadian clinicians -- and our patients." VCH previously used Carecast's predecessor, IDX(R) LastWord(R), and has moved to Carecast to support its long-term electronic health record strategy, which will include computerized physician order entry (CPOE) and electronic clinical documentation. In addition, VCH uses the IDX(R) Imagecast(TM) solution to manage radiology and imaging workflow at three of its facilities. Clinicians at four VCH facilities -- the 358-bed University of British Columbia Hospital, the 820-bed Vancouver General Hospital, the George Pearson Centre and G.F. Rehabilitation Centre -- are now using Carecast to support medication safety with pharmacy decision-support tools They can also share patient information such as laboratory results with other members of the care team and across facilities. The Carecast go-live also includes patient registration capabilities for both facilities, with an additional registration go-live planned for the 175- bed Richmond Hospital in 2006. "VCH clinicians are dedicated to providing our patients with the absolute highest quality healthcare," said Dr. David Ostrow, Vice President Medical and Clinical Innovation for VCH and Professor of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. "This activation is a significant step forward in reaching our goals for patient safety, and establishes a strong foundation for our upcoming computerized physician order entry and online clinical documentation initiatives -- critical tools for physicians, nurses and every member of the care team." During 2006 - 2007, VCH plans to roll out computerized physician order entry, which will make the health authority one of the first Canadian providers to adopt the integrated technology. CPOE allows physicians to enter orders for medications, laboratory tests and other procedures electronically, reducing the risks inherent in illegible handwriting and providing clinicians with alerts about possible drug interactions, patient allergies, and overall best courses of treatment. Carecast's clinical documentation capabilities will integrate medication charting, nursing assessments and vital signs online, and will enable VCH clinicians to thoroughly document each patient's condition, track the progress of their health and plan treatment. Electronic clinical documentation also has been shown to reduce the amount of time nurses spend on administrative functions, enabling them to reallocate time to patient care instead of paperwork. In addition to Carecast clinical functionality, VCH is in the process of rolling out Carecast Patient Accounting software at five of its facilities. By integrating clinical, administrative and financial functions, Carecast will allow VCH to automatically generate charges from clinical activities, capture comprehensive billing information, enhance analysis and reporting and minimize lost data -- helping staff and clinicians to save time. "VCH is a superb example of a provider that leverages integrated technology to improve quality, productivity and efficiency across the spectrum," said Mike Raymer, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Carecast Operating Unit. "We are enthusiastic about continuing to support VCH's initiatives, and committed to meeting the needs of Canadian providers -- and patients." About Vancouver Coastal Health VCH is responsible for the delivery of about $1.9 billion in public, acute, and residential health care services to more than one million residents in the cities of Vancouver, Richmond, North Vancouver and West Vancouver, 13 other municipalities and regional districts and 15 First Nation communities. It is one of five regional authorities (plus one provincial health authority) serving 16 health service delivery areas throughout British Columbia. 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. Our systems are deployed to serve approximately 150,000 physicians and are installed at over 3,400 customer sites, including more than 850 group practices and approximately 370 integrated delivery networks servicing more than 500 hospitals. IDX also provides its enterprise clinical software as a subcontractor to BT, Local Service Provider for the United Kingdom National Health Service's National Programme for Information Technology, an initiative to establish electronic patient records for 50 million patients. The IDX web strategy includes browser technology, e-commerce and web-based tools -- built using Internet architecture -- that facilitates 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 2,400 full-time employees. About IDX(R) Carecast(TM) 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(R) LastWord(R) enterprise system. Customers include leading healthcare organizations in the U.S., Canada and Europe. IDX also provides its enterprise clinical software as a subcontractor to BT, Local Service Provider for the United Kingdom National Health Service's National Programme for Information Technology, an initiative to establish electronic patient records for 50 million patients. 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: Catherine Sweeney Media Relations - IDX Carecast 206.607.5462 Clay Adams Director, Issues Management Vancouver Coastal Health 604.708.5280 DATASOURCE: IDX Systems Corporation CONTACT: Catherine Sweeney, Media Relations of IDX Carecast, +1-206-607-5462, ; or Clay Adams, Director, Issues Management of Vancouver Coastal Health, +1-604-708-5280, Web site: http://www.idx.com/

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