Allscripts Clients Win Half of National ‘E-Prescriber of the Year’ Awards
Three of the Six Physicians Honored by Surescripts Use Allscripts Electronic Health Record and ePrescribing Solutions
CHICAGO (June 24, 2009) –
Allscripts (Nasdaq: MDRX) today congratulated three of its clients who together accounted for half of the “E-Prescriber of the Year” award winners announced Monday by Surescripts as part of that organization’s Fourth Annual Safe-Rx(TM) Awards. Safe-Rx is an annual award that recognizes how e-prescribing enhances patient safety by providing a more secure and accurate prescribing process.
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The three Allscripts winners are Dr. Michael Brewer, M.D., a physician at Wabash Medical Center in Springfield, IL who uses an Allscripts Electronic Health Record to e-prescribe; Mark Earhart, M.D., a Watkinsville, GA physician who also uses an Allscripts Electronic Health Record to prescribe electronically; and Dr. Steven Green, M.D., a physician in Lancaster, KY who uses a stand-alone ePrescribing solution from Allscripts.
All three winners were identified independently by Surescripts through their use of prescription routing, benefit and history services in 2008. This includes managing prescription transactions electronically with pharmacies and using patient formulary and history information – that the physician receives electronically – in prescribing decisions using their Allscripts solutions.
“I want to personally congratulate Drs. Brewer, Earhart and Green, who exemplify the commitment of all our physician clients to using technology that enhances their practice of medicine by enabling the delivery of higher quality, safer patient care,” said Glen Tullman, Chief Executive Officer of Allscripts. “I’m especially gratified that the Surescripts awards reflect the clear leadership position that Allscripts has taken in providing this vitally important technology to physicians across the nation.”
Earlier this year, Allscripts announced, for the second consecutive year, that it routed more electronic prescriptions over the Surescripts network than any other e-prescribing or Electronic Health Record solution provider. Allscripts also had more active prescribers connected to the national network in 2008 than any other company.
Surescripts, which represents the nation’s community pharmacies and payers, bestowed the award on six prescribers for the outstanding leadership they have shown through their own use of e-prescribing. Three users of standalone e-prescribing software and three users of Electronic Health Record received Safe-Rx Awards and were recognized as E-Prescribers of the Year. The Surescripts network is used every day by thousands of physicians, pharmacists and payers nationwide to exchange health information and prescribe without paper.
Allscripts and Surescripts believe that exchanging prescription information in this way reduces Adverse Drug Events (ADEs) and medication errors that cause thousands of needless deaths in the United States each year.
“Through E-Prescribing, we’ve been able reduce errors due to handwriting mistakes and track patients prescriptions better,” said Dr. Green. “I’m thrilled to be honored as an E-Prescriber of the Year.”
“E-prescribing has helped me and my staff to become much more efficient so that we can spend more time with patients and less time on all the hassles that go along with traditional prescribing methods,” said Dr. Earhart. “Allscripts has made it easier for us to do a high volume of prescribing as our practice has grown.”
Dr. Brewer was traveling outside of the country on Monday and was unavailable for comment.
Vermont Named Most-Improved State
Allscripts also applauded the efforts of its physician clients in Vermont, who contributed to that state being honored by Surescripts with the Safe-Rx Award for “Most Improved State.” Between 2007 and 2008, the percentage of Vermont’s prescriptions routed electronically across the Surescripts network more than quadrupled, from less than 1 percent to nearly 5 percent, according to Surescripts. Users of Allscripts solutions accounted for 44 percent of all prescriptions routed electronically in Vermont in 2008.
“E-prescribing is a fundamental system improvement for ensuring accurate, timely health care communication,” said Vermont Governor Jim Douglas, in a prepared statement. “Much of Vermont health care reform is about utilizing the right tools to enhance our systemic approach to health care reform and the evidence regarding the value of e-prescribing is clear.”
Allscripts electronic prescribing, available as either a stand-alone solution or a component of a full Electronic Health Record, improves patient safety and quality of care by automating the prescription process. The technology is far safer than the current system of prescribing on paper. The Institute of Medicine issued two studies concluding that universal electronic prescribing would help prevent the 1.5 million injuries and 7,000 deaths that arise each year from needless medication errors.
About Allscripts
Allscripts uses innovation technology to bring health to healthcare. More than 160,000 physicians, 800 hospitals and nearly 8,000 post-acute and homecare organizations utilize Allscripts to improve the health of their patients and their bottom line. The company’s award-winning solutions include electronic health records, electronic prescribing, revenue cycle management, practice management, document management, medication services, hospital care management, emergency department information systems and homecare automation. Allscripts is the brand name of Allscripts-Misys Healthcare Solutions, Inc. To learn more, visit www.allscripts.com.
This news release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Statements regarding future events, developments, the Company’s future performance, as well as management’s expectations, beliefs, intentions, plans, estimates or projections relating to the future are forward-looking statements within the meaning of these laws. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, some of which are outlined below. As a result, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are: the volume and timing of systems sales and installations; length of sales cycles and the installation process; the possibility that products will not achieve or sustain market acceptance; the timing, cost and success or failure of new product and service introductions, development and product upgrade releases; competitive pressures including product offerings, pricing and promotional activities; our ability to establish and maintain strategic relationships; undetected errors or similar problems in our software products; compliance with existing laws, regulations and industry initiatives and future changes in laws or regulations in the healthcare industry; possible regulation of the Company’s software by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; the possibility of product-related liabilities; our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; our ability to identify and complete acquisitions, manage our growth and integrate acquisitions; the ability to recognize the benefits of the merger with Misys Healthcare Systems, LLC (“MHS”); the integration of MHS with the Company and the possible disruption of current plans and operations as a result thereof; maintaining our intellectual property rights and litigation involving intellectual property rights; risks related to third-party suppliers; our ability to obtain, use or successfully integrate third-party licensed technology; breach of our security by third parties; and the risk factors detailed from time to time in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our 2007 Annual Report on Form 10-K available through the Web site maintained by the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
SOURCE Allscripts – 06/24/2009
CONTACT: Dan Michelson, Chief Marketing Officer,
+1-312-506-1217, dan.michelson@allscripts.com,
or Todd Stein, Senior Manager/Public Relations,
+1-312-506-1216, todd.stein@allscripts.com, both of Allscripts
Web Site: http://www.allscripts.com
(MDRX)
Source: Allscripts
