Duke University Health System Selects McKesson for E-Prescribing and Electronic Health Records; Strategic Initiative Under Way to Connect and Integrate Ambulatory Clinics, Physician Offices

McKesson Corporation (NYSE:MCK) and Duke UniversityHealth System today announced a strategic initiative to acceleratephysician adoption of electronic prescriptions and electronic healthrecords (EHRs) in its clinics and physician practices. The initiativecalls for Duke to deploy McKesson's Horizon Ambulatory Care(TM) systemacross approximately 80 health clinics and physician practices in thecommunities surrounding Duke. Eventually more than 1,500 physicianswill use the system to create an EHR, including primary careproviders, internists, pediatricians, orthopedists and a wide range ofother medical specialties. Duke will pursue a rapid rollout ofe-prescribing, then phase in the full use of ambulatory EHRs.

"Duke's use of clinical decision support and other IT tools is anintegral part of our equation for patient safety and clinical qualityin the hospital," said Victor J. Dzau, M.D., Duke's chancellor forhealth affairs. "This new initiative with McKesson expands our effortsinto outpatient settings with the goal of establishing a world-classelectronic health record that supports continuity of care across bothinpatient and outpatient settings. Whether a patient goes to thephysician office, an outpatient clinic or the hospital, informationsuch as allergies, known health problems and existing medical ordersshould be easily accessible to the clinicians providing treatment."

As part of its ambulatory initiative, Duke will collaborate withMcKesson to develop clinical, specialty-based content for use indocumentation of patient care and patient treatment. The clinicalsystem will be integrated with the IDX practice management system usedin its physician offices. Duke and McKesson will focus on integratedcare delivery and innovative workflow tools to facilitate the bestpatient experience. This work is designed to broadly benefit McKessoncustomers. For example, Duke will develop and provide easy-to-use,quick-entry templates for charting patient care, which can then beused to promote rapid adoption in other communities. Duke and McKessonwill also collaborate on documented processes for knowledge transferand best-practice implementation.

The ambulatory initiative builds on Duke's highly successfulrollout of McKesson's Horizon Expert Orders(TM) clinical decisionsupport/computerized physician order entry (CDS/CPOE) system. Dukerolled out the system in less than 12 months, achieving widespreadadoption by physicians and other medical staff. Today more than 1,500clinicians, including more than 600 physicians, use the system toplace more than 18,000 orders daily.

Duke will begin its deployment with the Horizon ExpertPrescribing(TM) system, which electronically connects physicians,patients, pharmacy benefit managers and retail pharmacies to improvepatient safety, drive community-wide efficiencies and reduce costs.The system currently processes more than 1 million electronicprescriptions per year, creating dramatic improvements in safety andefficiency.

"Electronic prescriptions are a logical starting place for ourclinics and practices, from both a safety and clinical efficiencyperspective," said Paul R. Newman, vice president for Duke'sAmbulatory Care Division. "In addition to being relatively quick toinstall, physicians using e-prescribing at other McKesson sites giveit high marks for checking the payor's formulary as well as allergies,problems and other medications that the patient may be taking."

Once electronic prescriptions are in place for each location,additional EHR functions from Horizon Ambulatory Care will be added,including the ability to place orders, view results online anddocument patient care electronically. "We want to equip physicianswith an IT system that's easy to adopt, streamlines daily workflow andis tightly integrated with the hospital system to provide acomprehensive view of the patient," said Asif Ahmad, vice presidentand chief information officer for Duke University Health System andDuke University Medical Center.

"Duke's rapid rollout of clinical decision support and ability toachieve broad physician adoption makes it the ideal partner for thisproject," said Pamela Pure, president of McKesson ProviderTechnologies. "We look forward to drawing on Duke's expertise andsuccess with physicians as we collaborate to deploy a comprehensiveEHR for all Duke patients that spans the ambulatory and inpatientenvironments to support continuity of care. The best practices,clinical knowledge and other tools developed through this effort willbe valuable in jump-starting similar initiatives by other providersacross the country."

About Duke University Hospital

A tertiary and quaternary-care hospital, Duke University Hospitalis consistently rated one of the top hospitals in the United States.It houses comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic facilitiesincluding a regional emergency/trauma center; a major surgery suitewith dedicated open-heart operating rooms; an endosurgery center; andan extensive diagnostic radiology area. The facility also functions asa research hospital where medical advances are achieved and applied,and as a teaching hospital for students of medicine, nursing, and theallied health sciences.

About McKesson

McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 15th on the FORTUNE 500, isa healthcare services and information technology company dedicated tohelping its customers deliver high-quality healthcare by reducingcosts, streamlining processes, and improving the quality and safety ofpatient care. Over the course of its 173-year history, McKesson hasgrown by providing pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supplymanagement across the spectrum of care; healthcare informationtechnology for hospitals, physicians, homecare and payors; hospitaland retail pharmacy automation; and services for manufacturers andpayors designed to improve outcomes for patients. For moreinformation, visit us at http://mpt.mckesson.com or www.mckesson.com.