Leading Provider of Emergency Department Information Systems Opts for CPOE-Ready Drug Content to Enhance Emergency Room Safety and Efficiency 

First DataBank today announced that MEDHOST, Inc. is integrating First DataBank's OrderView Med Knowledge Base into its Emergency Department Information System (EDIS), which is designed to help clinicians quickly and accurately enter data, creating efficient emergency departments (ED) that result in shorter wait times, increased patient safety and better financial performance.

For two years running, KLAS Enterprises has named MEDHOST "#1 Best in KLAS" for Emergency Department Vendors as detailed in the "Top 20 Year End Best in KLAS" report (published Dec. 15, 2004 and 2005), which measures performance based on Customer evaluations of vendor performance. "We've had widespread adoption because our system is one that clinicians actually like to use," said Craig Herrod, CEO of MEDHOST. "It was designed by clinicians, so it eliminates everything they hate about technology: endless drop down menus, multiple screens and other obstacles that impede quality care. We chose First DataBank's OrderView because it fits perfectly within that concept and helps us advance our goal of making EDs safer and more efficient."

"OrderView is the first commercial drug database that is pre-built for CPOE and offers a way to enhance usability relatively easily," said Virginia Halsey, First DataBank's product management director. Embedded in an application, OrderView data enables physicians to complete orders in the fewest possible steps - often as few as two. It does this by providing "orderable meds," which conveniently link to dose, frequency and other order components such as anatomic site, prn reason, and additional instructions.

Together, MEDHOST and First DataBank address a number of ED problems that can undermine patient safety.

By supplying real-time patient tracking, clinical documentation, order entry, and comprehensive reporting, MEDHOST helps unclog overcrowded EDs and reduce inefficiencies that compromise the care and safety of millions of patients each year. In addition, with First DataBank clinical content, the MEDHOST application provides safeguards for preventing adverse drug events (ADE), such as drug-drug interactions and known allergic reactions. Now, the OrderView content extends these protections to dose validation-identified as the most common type of preventable medication error.

OrderView content promotes accuracy by providing validated orders selections for a drug. A team of clinical pharmacists research and rigorously test the OrderView selections, which are designed to be loaded into an order entry system as potential selections for the clinician users. This approach contrasts favorably with some of the common methods in place today for supporting order entry and checking doses. For instance, warning messages - after the fact - that a dose might not be appropriate can contribute to alert fatigue, a problem too often associated with clinical decision support. In addition, the OrderView selections support dose adjustments for organ impairment, mg/kg calculations and rounding for final doses, and pediatric orders - providing more applicable choices compared to generalized lists of doses and frequencies.

"Working with our customers and their end users to improve patient safety has long been a primary goal for First DataBank," said Don Nielsen, MD, president of First DataBank. "MEDHOST is clearly a leader in their category and we are thrilled to partner with them to advance this mutual goal."

MEDHOST is a software solutions company that provides highly visual, easy-to-use process management technology for the healthcare industry. The MEDHOST product suite has been adopted by leading institutions throughout the United States and has proven to dramatically improve emergency department processes and increase Customer satisfaction. MEDHOST was named "#1 Best in KLAS" for Emergency Department Vendors in 2004 and 2005, as detailed in the "Top 20 Year End Best in KLAS" report (published Dec. 15, 2004 and 2005), which measures performance based on Customer evaluations of vendor performance. Products include real-time patient tracking, clinical documentation, order entry and comprehensive reporting. MEDHOST is headquartered in Addison, Texas.

Additional information is available at www.medhost.com.

First DataBank, a subsidiary of Hearst Corporation, is the leading provider of electronic drug information to the healthcare industry. We pioneered the concept of creating executable drug knowledge that's designed to be relevant from the perspectives of multiple end users. For more than two decades, we've partnered with information system developers to deliver proven knowledge bases for integration into a wide range of applications all across the healthcare continuum, with particular expertise in clinical decision support within the workflow. Together with our development partners, First DataBank helps reduce the incidence of medication errors and adverse drug events, which promises to lower healthcare costs and improve patient care. For more information, visit: www.firstdatabank.com.

© 2006, First DataBank, Inc. A subsidiary of Hearst Corporation. All trademarks mentioned herein are the properties of their respective owners.

Virginia Halsey, Product Management Director-NDDF Plus
650-872-4524
Virginia_Halsey@firstdatabank.com

Back to Press Releases