Christian Hospital Selects McKesson's Horizon Lab to Support Clinical Workflow Needs.

Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 11, 2001

System Thinks and Works Like Clinicians

Christian Hospital in St. Louis County, Mo., recently selected McKesson's Horizon Lab(TM) system to handle its laboratory information system needs.

Horizon Lab is a key component of Horizon Clinicals Solution that serves all settings of care. Christian Hospital, a 676-bed hospital, part of BJC HealthCare wanted a comprehensive, adaptable laboratory information solution to improve workflow and productivity, meet current customer service needs and support the organization's goals of expanding into new markets.

"Our reference laboratory supports more than 600 area physicians and processes an average of 13,500 results per day. Horizon Lab will enable us to streamline our processes so that we can better meet our customers' needs," said Karen Schwent, laboratory information systems administrator for Christian Hospital. "We also want to expand our services to the outpatient market and Horizon Lab will be instrumental in supporting that goal."

Schwent added that Horizon Lab's clinically intelligent expert microbiology function was the deciding factor in the selection process. "The system's ability to work interactively with the microbiologist is impressive," she said. "We looked at other systems, but it was the expert microbiology function that stood out. This will enable the microbiologist to be prompted for appropriate information based on the identified organism and the laboratory's required information flow."

"By offering a clinically intelligent system that thinks and works like laboratory technologists, it was clear to the team at BJC that we strive to identify with our customer needs and goals," said Gene Markiewicz, senior vice president of clinical solutions for McKesson.

Not only will Horizon Lab support the workflow needs of Christian Hospital's microbiologists, it will also enable the organization to automate lab processing and create better tracking of results, provide quicker response to physicians and support regulatory compliance efforts.

A two-division facility, Christian Hospital is a non-profit hospital that offers a full range of healthcare services and an array of medical and surgical specialties. Noted for its cardiology services, Christian Hospital boasts three outstanding cardiothoracic surgeons, more than 25 cardiologists and a team of specially trained health care professionals. BJC HealthCare is one of the largest nonprofit healthcare organizations in the United States, with more than 26,000 employees and net revenues of $2.1 billion. BJC HealthCare's 12 hospitals and multiple healthcare facilities deliver a comprehensive array of medical services in St. Louis, southern Illinois and mid-Missouri.

Horizon Lab is an integrated laboratory information solution for the entire health enterprise. Horizon Lab includes connectivity to anatomic pathology, blood bank, reference laboratories, physician offices, laboratory automation products, clinical analyzers and third-party systems as well as to McKesson solutions, including components of Horizon Clinicals(TM). McKesson's Horizon Clincials is a comprehensive suite of next-generation, integrated solutions that helps to improve patient safety while reducing the variability and cost of care.

McKesson Information Solutions has 30 years of clinical information technology experience. Tens of thousands of clinicians use McKesson clinical information systems daily. McKesson's clinical strength is measured by having the most comprehensive solution for medication safety; giving more and more physicians the tools they really want and use to practice evidence-based medicine; and maximizing a healthcare organization's investment in information technology, including a single, scalable clinical data repository.

McKesson Corporation is the leading provider of innovative solutions in supply, information and care management through advanced technologies and services that deliver greater return on investment and better patient outcomes for providers, payors, employers and manufacturers. With revenues of $42 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2001, McKesson ranks No. 35 in the 2001 Fortune 500. For product information, visit our Web site at www.mckesson.com or call 1-800-981-8601.