IDXC Idx Systems (MM)

Oakwood Healthcare System will use electronic health records to drive high- quality, lower-cost care for its patients and their principal employers, Ford and General Motors DEARBORN, Mich. and BURLINGTON, Vt., Aug. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- IDX Systems Corporation (NASDAQ:IDXC) today announced it has signed an agreement with Oakwood Healthcare System (OHS) to upgrade to the IDX(R) Carecast(TM) enterprise clinical information system. OHS is moving forward with the upgrade (signed in Q2 of 2005) as part of a comprehensive initiative to improve quality of care and reduce medical costs for its patient population -- which includes thousands of employees of top U.S. auto manufacturers Ford Motor Company and General Motors Corporation. OHS -- a nationally recognized quality leader and consistent winner of the Michigan Governor's Award of Excellence for Improving Care in the Hospital Setting -- is accelerating an innovative and aggressive program to curb healthcare spending through use of electronic health records technology. Supported by Carecast software, physicians, nurses, pharmacists and all other clinicians will have immediate and secure access to comprehensive patient information anytime, from any location in the health system, which includes four hospitals and more than 40 primary and specialty care sites. With Carecast, OHS will implement online clinical documentation and medication management capabilities, while deploying sophisticated decision support tools which help standardize activities across the health system and ensure treatment adheres to the most up-to-date clinical best practices. "The cost and complexity of providing medical care to employees poses critical challenges for employers in our market and throughout the country," said Malcolm Henoch, M.D., OHS Chief Medical Officer. "Oakwood's goal is to cooperate and partner with major employers in the communities we serve by providing demonstrable high-quality, cost-effective care to our patients. We value IDX as a key collaborator in this effort -- the company has the technology, experience and willingness to help Oakwood Healthcare System achieve our vision." In recent years, healthcare spending has become an increasingly important issue for U.S. employers -- and their employees and consumers. Employer- sponsored healthcare costs are expected to rise by 8 percent in 2005, following nearly a decade of double-digit increases, according to the 2005 Towers Perrin Health Care Cost Survey. According to published statistics from the Big Three auto manufacturers, employee healthcare can cost upwards of $1,200 per car manufactured, as much as twice the cost of the sheet metal for the vehicle. Industry consortia such as The Leapfrog Group, whose member companies include Ford and General Motors, advocate improving the affordability of healthcare by reducing preventable medical mistakes and increasing the quality of care. Both The Leapfrog Group and the Institute of Medicine have called for more widespread use of electronic health records to improve patient safety and to support care that is higher quality and lower cost -- for example, by reducing preventable medical errors, which total $17 billion of U.S. healthcare costs per year. When clinicians can view a patient's full medical history within the lifetime health record, they are better equipped to make informed and effective care decisions -- contributing to improved quality of care and reduced costs. The OHS electronic health records initiative focuses on providing clinicians with a wealth of timely knowledge and information, delivering technology that strengthens real-time communication on patient care, and enabling clinicians to retrospectively review care and identify opportunities for improvement. OHS's decision to partner with IDX in its expanded technology initiative reflects the long-term working relationship between the two companies, which began in 1997. "Our relationship with IDX executive leadership was also pivotal to this decision -- we like their vision, willingness to form a partnership and ability to think outside of the box. We are committed to building a comprehensive EHR and see IDX as a strong partner in helping us reach our goal," said Paula Smith, Chief Information Officer, OHS. The initial Carecast implementation in 2006 will focus on clinical documentation and medication management capabilities, building on OHS's existing clinical data repository established with Carecast's predecessor, IDX(R) LastWord(R). In the future, OHS also plans to adopt computerized physician order entry (CPOE), electronic health record expansion within intensive care units (including neonatal intensive care), health maintenance alerts and other disease management tools, as well as other advanced functionality. With Carecast, nurses at OHS will document and update information about the patient's condition electronically, so that it is readily available to all members of the care team. IDX nursing functionality has been shown to reduce nursing documentation time to nearly half the national average -- providing nurses with more time to spend on patient care, not paperwork. The system also enables nurses and other members of the clinical team to create and manage interdisciplinary care plans online, supporting higher quality patient care, timely delivery of care, and improved communication across clinical disciplines. "The online nursing care documentation and other nursing components will be outstanding tools to streamline workflow for our nurses, and create a more comprehensive online record for all providers throughout our organization," said Barbara Medvec, R.N., Chief Nursing Officer at OHS. "We are eager to deploy this advanced technology, so that our nurses and patients can begin realizing the anticipated quality and efficiency benefits." "OHS is already a nationally recognized leader for the quality of its patient care. Through the use of electronic health records technology, the organization is poised for even greater achievements, and for creating remarkable outcomes for its patients, employers and the community as a whole," said Mike Raymer, Senior Vice President and General Manager, IDX Carecast Operating Unit. "IDX is honored to be a partner in Oakwood's electronic health records initiative." About Oakwood Healthcare System Oakwood Healthcare System (OHS) -- the most preferred healthcare system in suburban Wayne County -- is a comprehensive regional network of hospitals, healthcare centers, skilled nursing centers and related healthcare facilities. OHS has a medical staff of more than 1,200 doctors, and provides service to more than 1.2 million people in 35 southeastern Michigan communities. The organization's specialty services include women's and children's health (including high-risk obstetrics and neonatal care), geriatrics, emergency care, cancer care, surgery, cardiology and other specialties. Oakwood Hospital & Medical Center was recently named one of the top 100 cardiology programs in the nation for the fifth time in six years. OHS has also been named a 2005 Most Improved Winner in Hospitals & Health Networks' 100 Most Wired Hospitals and Health Systems study, and is a consistent winner of the Michigan Governor's Award of Excellence for Improving Care in the Hospital Setting. OHS is affiliated with the schools of medicine at Wayne State University and the University of Michigan and is a member of the University of Michigan Cancer Center Network. With more than 9,000 associates, OHS is the second largest employer in suburban Wayne County. 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. About IDX 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. 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 Thomas Worobec Director of Communications Oakwood Healthcare System 313.586.5389 DATASOURCE: IDX Systems Corporation CONTACT: Catherine Sweeney, Media Relations of IDX Carecast, +1-206-607- 5462, ; or Thomas Worobec, Director of Communications of Oakwood Healthcare System, +1-313-586-5389, Web site: http://www.idx.com/

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