CareFusion And Cerner Connect Technology And Data To Help Improve Medication Safety And Clinical Workflow

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- CareFusion and Cerner today announced the implementation of interconnected systems that share data for enhanced medication management at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, a leading U.S. teaching and research hospital and designated Magnet institution.

The new offering from CareFusion and Cerner, currently in limited commercial release, enables data sharing and centralizes clinical information between the Pyxis MedStation^® 4000 system automated medication dispensing technology and the Cerner Millennium® electronic health record (EHR) system, via Cerner's CareAware iBus™ integrated device connectivity architecture.

Interoperability between systems allows caregivers to use Cerner Millennium to remotely track drug availability and select medications for removal from the Pyxis MedStation system. These features help improve efficiency in medication dispensing and administration and save nurses time previously spent looking for medications.

"The integration of the patient electronic medical record and medication dispensing devices, combined with our medication management processes, has helped us increase the efficiency of medication administration by 30 percent, improve staff satisfaction and most importantly decrease the chance of selecting the wrong patient in the system," said Sherry Kwater, M.S.N., B.S.N., R.N., chief nursing officer at Penn State Hershey Medical Center. 

The technology helps streamline medication administration and documentation further by:

• Displaying alerts and status information from the Pyxis MedStation system within the Cerner Millennium Alert Dashboard to improve pharmacy workflow.
• Enabling nurses to remotely select medications from the Cerner EHR for dispensing by the Pyxis MedStation 4000 system and document medication waste from any Cerner PowerChart® workstation.
• Duplicating patient lists, labs and vital signs from Cerner PowerChart into the Pyxis MedStation system to ensure nurses have access to consistent patient data from multiple locations within the hospital.

"It's become essential for medical devices and information systems to talk to each other and share data in order to improve efficiency and accuracy across complex processes like medication management," said Tom Leonard, president of Medical Systems at CareFusion. "Delivering technology that supports and enhances clinical workflow across the hospital is a key priority for us as we work to help our customers improve patient care."

In 2010, CareFusion and Cerner entered into a strategic agreement to closely integrate their market-leading technologies to develop solutions that help hospitals and health care providers deliver better patient care through greater system connectivity and interoperability. Since that time, the companies have connected CareFusion's Pyxis® automated medication and supply dispensing systems, Alaris® infusion pumps and the CareFusion Ventilation System with Cerner's CareAware iBus and Cerner Millennium, enabling hospitals to achieve greater device interoperability to enhance patient safety and clinical workflows.

Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center will discuss its recent implementation of the CareFusion and Cerner interoperability technology for medication management at the Cerner Health Conference, Oct. 7-9 in Kansas City, Mo. Oklahoma Heart Hospital and Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota will also discuss their recent engagement with CareFusion and Cerner to implement the companies' bi-directional wireless connectivity solution for infusion management.

About CareFusion

CareFusion (NYSE: CFN) is a global corporation serving the health care industry with products and services that help hospitals measurably improve the safety and quality of care. The company develops market-leading technologies including Alaris® infusion pumps, Pyxis® automated dispensing and patient identification systems, AVEA®, AirLife™ and LTV® series ventilation and respiratory products, ChloraPrep® products, MedMined® services for data mining surveillance, V. Mueller® surgical instruments, and an extensive line of products that support interventional medicine. CareFusion employs more than 15,000 people across its global operations. More information may be found at www.carefusion.com.

About Cerner

Cerner® solutions are licensed by approximately 9,300 facilities around the world, including more than 2,650 hospitals; 3,750 physician practices; 40,000 physicians; 500 ambulatory facilities, such as laboratories, ambulatory centers, cardiac facilities, radiology clinics and surgery centers; 800 home health facilities; 40 employer sites and 1,600 retail pharmacies.

Certain trademarks, service marks and logos (collectively, the "Marks") set forth herein are owned by Cerner Corporation and/or its subsidiaries in the United States and certain other countries throughout the world. All other non-Cerner Marks are the property of their respective owners. Nasdaq: CERN. For more information about Cerner, please visit www.cerner.com, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

About Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is one of the leading teaching and research hospitals in the country. The 491-bed Medical Center is a provider of high-level, patient-focused medical care. Annually the Medical Center admits more than 27,000 patients, accepts more than 890,000 outpatient visits, receives more than 64,000 emergency room patients and performs nearly 28,000 surgical procedures. The Medical Center campus also includes Penn State College of Medicine (Penn State's medical school), Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, and Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital—the region's only children's hospital. The Medical Center campus is part of Penn State Hershey Health System, which also includes the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute, Penn State Hershey Rehabilitation Hospital, and other specialty facilities. On the Web at www.pennstatehershey.org.  

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SOURCE CareFusion