Wolters Kluwer Health Adds Core Measures Compliance Feature to Lippincott's Nursing Advisor

AMBLER, Pa., July 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry, today announced that it has developed a new feature for Lippincott's Nursing Advisor that can help nurses and hospitals better meet Core Measures.  Developed by The Joint Commission in conjunction with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Core Measures are evidence-based quality indicators designed to improve patient care by focusing on improving outcomes.  Lippincott's Nursing Advisor is a leading online clinical decision-support solution used by nurses in hospitals and other healthcare institutions. 

To develop the new feature, Wolters Kluwer Health asked nurses how they implement the Core Measures.  Many said that they had access to good descriptions but had little specific guidance addressing the steps required to meet each measure.  The new Lippincott's Nursing Advisor feature is designed to make it easier for nurses and hospitals to comply.

"Many others have Core Measures programs, but few facilities have a process that identifies the specific actions nurses can take to ensure that core measures are met," said Judith McCann, MSN, RN, Chief Nurse, Professional & Education, Wolters Kluwer Health.  "Lippincott's Nursing Advisor identifies key interventions nurses can take at the point-of-care."

Developed and reviewed by expert nurses and quality managers, Lippincott's Nursing Advisor Core Measure program helps nurses understand each core measure and relate it directly to patient care.  The new content also identifies key nursing interventions the nurse can take to ensure the core measure is met.

Core Measures are sorted into sets as defined by The Joint Commission with each set consisting of multiple individual measures.  A total of 13 Core Measure Sets, including Acute MI, Heart Failure and Venous Thromboembolism, have been incorporated into Lippincott's Nursing Solutions.  Content will be reviewed and updated on an annual basis to ensure that it conforms to the most current Joint Commission standards.

Why Hospitals Care About Core Measures

In addition to ensuring that patients receive the best possible care, hospitals have financial incentive to comply with the Core Measures standards.  Compliance ensures they receive the highest possible reimbursement from Medicare and other payers.  Core Measures also are closely tied to evidence-based research findings and have been shown to help reduce complications risk and prevent condition recurrences.

The Joint Commission and CMS regularly review electronic documentation from hospitals to determine their level of Core Measure compliance.  These results allow hospitals to be compared by their quality of care.

"Our new Core Measures feature benefits hospitals by helping them perform as well as or better than other hospitals," continued McCann.  "It also helps them meet standards for reducing re-admissions by improving patient outcomes."

Lippincott's Nursing Advisor includes more than 3,000 collective entries of critical, evidence-based information spanning diseases, treatments, diagnostic tests, drugs, signs & symptoms, nursing care plans, core measures, and patient education.  Using the system's proprietary synoptic search, the product delivers the appropriate entry within seconds of a nurse's inquiry.  When a nurse requires further reference, access to nursing-related eBooks is now available directly from the product.

Written by nurses for nurses, Lippincott's Nursing Advisor is the leading nurse-centric resource designed for online and mobile point-of-care environments.  In use in hospitals and healthcare institutions worldwide, the product is accessible from any Internet-enabled device including PCs and mobile devices such as iPad® and Android™ tablets.  Lippincott's Nursing Advisor is part of Lippincott's Nursing Solutions, a series of evidence-based nursing products designed to improve patient outcomes, enhance nurse competency, standardize care and promote clinical excellence.

The new Core Measure feature is available immediately and included in the base subscription price to hospitals and other healthcare facilities.  To learn more or to purchase, visit www.LippincottSolutions.com, or call (855) 695-5070.

About Wolters Kluwer Health

Wolters Kluwer Health is a leading global provider of information, business intelligence and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry. Serving more than 150 countries and territories worldwide, Wolters Kluwer Health's customers include professionals, institutions and students in medicine, nursing, allied health and pharmacy. Major brands include Health Language^®, Lexicomp^®, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Medicom^®, Medknow, Ovid^®, Pharmacy OneSource^®, ProVation^® Medical and UpToDate^®.

Wolters Kluwer Health is part of Wolters Kluwer, a market-leading global information services company. Wolters Kluwer had 2012 annual revenues of €3.6 billion ($4.6 billion), employs approximately 19,000 people worldwide, and maintains operations in over 40 countries across Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. Follow our official Twitter handle: @WKHealth.

SOURCE Wolters Kluwer Health