Putting Technology to Work for Patient Safety

    Information System Offers Faster, More Efficient Treatment for Patients

& Reduces Medication Errors



    ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 12 /EMWNews/ -- Virginia Hospital

Center will launch a $14 million new Hospital Information System (HIS) in

2009 that will utilize advanced information technologies (IT) to create

efficiencies and orchestrate clinical best practices. The Hospital signed

an agreement with Siemens Medical Solutions and will implement its powerful

workflow-engineered health information solution, Soarian(R).



    "Virginia Hospital Center is excited about our partnership with Siemens

and the implementation of this new, market-leading platform that will

improve patient safety and process efficiency. It's all about using

technology to provide the best possible care for our patients from start to

finish," said David Crutchfield, Chief Information Officer at Virginia

Hospital Center. "This system is a perfect match to the sophisticated

medical expertise currently in place at Virginia Hospital Center."



    Virginia Hospital Center will deploy Soarian's clinical, financial,

physician order management, scheduling, internet portal and health

information management (HIM) applications, as well as a number of ancillary

applications that support the Hospital's efforts to ensure patient safety

and a positive patient experience. Drawing on a vast database of medical

best practices, the HIS will be fully integrated with electronic patient

medical records, giving personalized care the backing of a powerful checks

and balances system.



    Medication orders are just one aspect of care that will benefit from

automation. Prescriptions managed through a computerized physician order

entry (CPOE) system (as opposed to being written on a pad and then

transcribed) will generate pop-up alerts for possible drug and food

interactions, counter-indications with a patient's existing medications,

and other potential red flags. In some cases, the system may suggest an

alternate medication in light of the patient's medical history. In the

pharmacy, robotic packaging of individual doses for each patient's

medications will be bar coded and sealed. Prior to administration, the bar

code is matched with the patient's, as well as to the original order,

further reducing the potential for mistakes.



    Expedited treatment decisions will be another plus for patients. The

system's critical results notification function will ensure core medical

staff is mobilized instantly (via email, pager, and cell phone) in the

event of a patient emergency, or that referring physicians are contacted

immediately if the results of a diagnostic screening warrant swift action.

Radio frequency tracking will keep track of where patients are in the

hospital and which services they are receiving at any given time. With

digital archiving, physicians can access patient medical records and

imaging studies from anywhere inside the Hospital, or remotely from home.



    Virginia Hospital Center will also implement Siemens Pharmacy,

Enterprise Document Management, Siemens OPENLink(TM), as well as clinical

specialty modules that include Soarian Cardiology, Soarian Emergency

Department and Soarian Critical Care.



    To ensure Virginia Hospital Center maximizes its technology investment,

Siemens will provide end-user education to improve the skills, knowledge,

and productivity of hospital staff, while providing tools to navigate

government regulations, evolving technology, and advancements in healthcare

processes. The implementation of Soarian places Virginia Hospital Center at

the forefront of the national movement toward utilizing advanced IT to

build a nationwide health information infrastructure.

    About Virginia Hospital Center:



    For over 60 years, Virginia Hospital Center has provided exceptional

medical services to the Washington metropolitan area. Virginia Hospital

Center's new $150 million state-of-the-art facility offers comprehensive

healthcare and multiple Centers of Excellence including Cardiology &

Cardiovascular Surgery, Neuroscience, Oncology, Women & Infant Health and

Urology. Growing service lines include Executive Health and the only Lung

Cancer Center in Northern Virginia. Virginia Hospital Center is a teaching

hospital, long-associated with Georgetown University's School of Medicine,

and accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare

Organizations (JCAHO) and Licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia

Department of Health. For additional information, please visit

http://www.virginiahospitalcenter.com.