Solaris Health System Partners With McKesson for Major Patient Safety Initiative.

Business Editors and Health/Medical Writers

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 4, 2002

Comprehensive Medical Technology Solutions to Aid More Than

2,000 Clinicians in Delivering Safer, More Efficient Care

McKesson Corporation (NYSE:MCK) today announced that Solaris Health System has contracted for more than $25 million in McKesson products and services to enhance patient safety and clinical quality throughout its 1,500-bed system, which is served by 2,000 clinicians providing care in central New Jersey. Solaris will implement McKesson's comprehensive Closed-Loop Medication Management solution as well as a wide range of pharmacy and nursing automation, bar code scanning and information technology tools and services. These solutions are designed to help physicians, pharmacists, nurses and other clinicians enhance patient safety while streamlining care processes.

Solaris will deploy Horizon Clinicals(TM) solutions from McKesson to support clinician decision-making in the hospital and in remote locations such as physician offices, homes and other locations. Among these solutions are HorizonWP(R) Physician Portal, which enables secure, Web-based access to patient information, and Horizon MobileCare(TM) applications, which allow clinicians to view patient information and receive medical alerts on wireless devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) and cell phones. Solaris will also implement Horizon Expert Orders(TM), McKesson's world-class clinical decision support and computerized physician order entry system (CDS/CPOE).

As part of its commitment to assist Solaris in its patient safety initiative, McKesson will also provide a full range of professional services. Working with Solaris program leaders, McKesson clinical consulting experts will assist in solution implementation, evaluating and redesigning clinical processes and change management to promote the adoption and satisfaction of constituents such as physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other clinicians.

"Providing physicians, nurses and other clinicians with the solutions they need to enhance patient safety is at the heart of our commitment to provide high quality, cost effective care," said John McGee, chief executive officer for Solaris. "After an extensive market evaluation, our clinicians concluded that McKesson offers the best solutions and most comprehensive approach for enhancing clinical excellence. By establishing a strategic relationship with McKesson, we've eliminated the need to manage multiple vendors in a complex, mission-critical project. Just as important, McKesson brings the consulting and professional expertise required to help us accomplish this organizational transformation and improve patient outcomes."

John Hammergren, McKesson's chief executive officer, said the Solaris agreement demonstrates the strength of McKesson's proprietary and complete approach to addressing patient safety issues. "Innovative technology solutions are a key component in patient safety, but we recognize that technology alone is just not enough," said Hammergren. "McKesson will help Solaris achieve its goals by combining a wide range of proven technology with implementation and strategic consulting services to make a solid impact on safety, quality, and efficiency throughout the health system."

Closing the Loop on Medication Safety

A key focus for Solaris will be the implementation of McKesson's Closed Loop Medication Management, which incorporates automation, bar code scanning and information technology to automate all five stages of the medication management process: prescribing, transcribing, dispensing, administering and monitoring.

"Our goal is to automate the entire medication management process, starting with the physician placing an order, where we see a strong potential to reduce variability in care processes while improving patient safety," said William Oser, M.D., chief medical officer for Solaris. To achieve these goals, Solaris will implement Horizon Expert Orders, a clinical decision support and computerized physician order entry solution with clinical knowledge that combines patient-specific information with experience-based, national and local best practices. This clinical knowledge, known as Horizon Knowledge Center(TM), is a rich library of clinical protocols, diagnostically appropriate order outlines, rules, treatment advisories and reference information. "By presenting clinically relevant information to physicians and other clinicians when they need it most -- at the point of care as they're making decisions -- we can empower them with best practices that will lead to higher quality and safer care," Dr. Oser said.

To streamline processes and improve efficiency in the pharmacy, Solaris will implement several of McKesson's world leading pharmacy automation solutions including ROBOT-Rx(TM), PakPlus(TM), and MedDirect(TM). Solaris will install two ROBOT-Rx units, to create a centralized, stationary robotic system in the hospital pharmacy, utilizing bar code technology to manage the storage, dispensing, returning, restocking and crediting of unit-dose medications and increases the productivity and dispensing accuracy in the central pharmacy through automation. With PakPlus, dedicated McKesson employees provide medication bar code packaging services which establish the foundation for the verifying of the "five rights" of medication safety. MedDirect, a web-based order communication system, will enhance the speed and accuracy of pharmacy orders between the nursing unit and the central pharmacy by providing an electronic image of the order that can be quickly expedited, tracked and retrieved. Another key solution will be Horizon Meds Manager, an enterprise medication management solution that checks for drug interactions, allergies and other potential adverse drug events. With these solutions in place, pharmacists may have more time for clinical consulting with physicians, nurses and other caregivers, leading to enhanced patient care.

Accelerating Time to Value for Clinicians

To accelerate system acceptance and use, Solaris will pursue a staged deployment of McKesson solutions that takes into consideration the information and technology needs of its clinical constituencies. "We've already put a plan in place to quickly provide physicians with Web-based, remote access to patient information, which will satisfy one of their top IT requests," said Dr. Oser. "We'll also extend information access to mobile devices such as PDAs and cell phones. This will not only enhance decision-making but also deliver immediate value to physicians as we incrementally deploy new clinical systems."

Solaris will also focus on nursing units and surgical suites with a view to automate and streamline processes so nurses can spend more time on direct patient care activities. "Our goal is to use Horizon Clinicals to reduce care team documentation time by 20 percent," explained Dr. Oser. "Not only will this enhance patient care activities, but by providing a state-of-the-art technology environment, we're better positioned to attract and retain seasoned nursing professionals who are so essential to providing high quality care."

According to Graham King, president of McKesson Information Solutions, the end goal is to empower clinicians with solutions that enable them to deliver high-quality, effective patient care in the most efficient manner possible. "We're honored to be chosen by Solaris and its clinicians in this major initiative to enhance patient safety and reduce variability of care," said King. "McKesson not only has proven software solutions with high clinician adoption rates, but we also offer the services and technology expertise needed to drive value. In addition, we can reach beyond information technology to the power of McKesson's robotic automation, bar code scanning and medication management services to provide a complete solution that is unmatched in the industry."

About Solaris

Solaris Health System is one of the largest integrated healthcare organizations of hospitals, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers serving residents in the central New Jersey area. The System offers 900 acute-care beds through its two hospitals -- John F. Kennedy Medical Center and Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center -- over 600 long-term care beds through its three skilled-nursing facilities -- the JFK Hartwyck Centers -- and 94 rehabilitation beds through its JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute.

About McKesson

McKesson Corporation is the leading provider of supply, information and care management products and services designed to reduce costs and improve quality across healthcare. McKesson solutions empower healthcare professionals with the tools they need to deliver care more effectively and efficiently. Founded in 1833, with annual revenues of more than US$50 billion, McKesson ranks as the 31st largest industrial company in the United States. For more information, call 800/981-8601 or visit our Web site at http://www.mckesson.com.

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