HIMSS Honors Memorial Healthcare System for Using TheraDoc(TM) Decision Support Technology to Achieve 97 Percent Compliance With Pediatric Asthma Quality Measures

ATLANTA, March 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Hospira, Inc. (NYSE: HSP), a leading provider of clinical information and medication delivery technologies, today announced that Memorial Healthcare System (MHS) was honored as a finalist in the HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) inaugural "Stories of Success! Leveraging HIT, Improving Quality & Safety" program. Memorial Healthcare System of South Florida, one of 16 applicants selected for recognition, used Hospira's TheraDoc™ clinical surveillance platform to achieve 97 percent compliance with Joint Commission pediatric asthma core measures. The case study and TheraDoc technology will be demonstrated at booth number 6249 at the HIMSS10 conference in Atlanta through March 4.

Introduced in October 2009 by HIMSS and the American Society for Quality (ASQ), the Stories of Success! program called for case studies showcasing real-world examples of leveraging health information technology to improve patient safety, quality, effectiveness and efficiency. Memorial Healthcare System was honored by a peer-review body of experts from HIMSS, the Joint Commission, the National Committee for Quality Assurance and the ASQ.

The recognized case study highlighted how MHS' Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital (JDCH) met the children's asthma care core measures by using a team approach and tools from the TheraDoc computerized safety surveillance and decision support system. Healthcare providers at JDCH found that it was difficult to track all pediatric asthma patients to ensure compliance with the measures. In some cases, patient length of stay was only one to two days, further complicating efforts to comply with the core measures. The team utilized TheraDoc computer-generated alerts to identify pediatric asthma patients based on prescription medication and admissions data as a first step in implementing a core measure for providing pediatric asthma home management care plans to patients and caregivers -- resulting in a 97 percent compliance rate with the asthma core measures.

JDCH has used the TheraDoc decision support technology since 2007 for infection prevention, medication safety and other applications. The system automates the collection and analysis of clinical data from a range of sources within the hospital and alerts caregivers to clinically significant information so that appropriate interventions can be made. The software also helps coordinate communication among patient care teams and hospital executives, and facilitates reporting to public health officials and quality organizations.  

"We adopted the pediatric asthma initiatives based on our desire to be at the forefront of quality patient care," said Alice Chan, R.Ph., IT clinical applications manager at MHS. "We were committed to decreasing the need for readmission and achieving a high compliance rate with the quality measures, and TheraDoc helped us streamline the process. We are pleased that we can share our experience and success of using information technology to help improve the quality of patient care."

According to Stanley Pestotnik, M.S., R.Ph., general manager, TheraDoc, Hospira, JDCH's success with these quality initiatives illustrates the versatility of the TheraDoc clinical surveillance platform, which provides tools to quickly address a range of quality and patient safety challenges that arise in healthcare every day.

"We are pleased that Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital's outstanding accomplishments were recognized by HIMSS," Pestotnik said. "Healthcare quality and patient safety challenges continue to be two of the country's most critical healthcare priorities, and we share the hospital's ongoing commitment to improving patient safety and care through the management of medical information."  

About the HIMSS "Stories of Success!" Program  

The HIMSS "Stories of Success!" are designed to highlight the fulfillment of national priorities established by the National Priorities Partnership and The Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goals. Sixteen real-world and peer-reviewed case study submissions were designated as either Tier 1 or Tier 2 finalists as part of the inaugural call for case studies. Memorial Healthcare System was honored in the Tier 2 category. To receive a copy of the case study, e-mail [email protected].

About Hospira

Hospira, Inc. is a global specialty pharmaceutical and medication delivery company dedicated to Advancing Wellness™. As the world leader in specialty generic injectable pharmaceuticals, Hospira offers one of the broadest portfolios of generic acute-care and oncology injectables, as well as integrated infusion therapy and medication management solutions. Through its products, Hospira helps improve the safety, cost and productivity of patient care. The company is headquartered in Lake Forest, Ill., and has approximately 13,500 employees. Learn more at www.hospira.com.

SOURCE Hospira, Inc.